Mystic Falls Redux-Continuations
by nekilarose
Summary: Fics that take a peek into the world of Mystic Falls Redux after the main story ends.
1. Facing the Past

"Have you decided what you're dressing up as for Halloween?" Kai asks nonchalantly as he glances at the shelves.

Bonnie looks up from her phone, "Is that a thing we're doing?"

Kai shrugs, "I mean, if you don't want to, you don't have to." Bonnie takes a minute to study his profile before it clicks, "Oh my god! You want to do a couples costume, don't you?"

She watches as his ears redden, "Like I said, you don't have to if you don't want to, I just thought it would be easier if we matched."

Bonnie continued to watch her boyfriend squirm in embarrassment. "Oh, you are so adorable right now."

"I'm not adorable. I'm manly, get it right, woman." Kai grumbled.

"So adorable. That's you." Bonnie pointed in his direction. He rolled his eyes while he took over pushing the grocery cart. Bonnie glanced down at her phone to make sure they didn't need anything from this aisle.

"Whatever. I was thinking about the obvious."

"The obvious?"

"Yeah, a witch and a warlock." Kai said it like it made all the sense in the world, and in a way it did. But Bonnie was looking to put a bit of distance between her life now and the one she left behind. "Pass."

"Okay, how about the other obvious choice?" Kai wiggled his eyebrows up and down, "Bonnie and Clyde? Dangerous outlaws of the 20's. Or was it the 30's?"

Bonnie pauses when she hears the 20's. That decade dance would go down as one of the worst ones for her. Abby, who had just been turned by people she had considered friends (or at least allies), had recently left again. Alaric had been twisted by Esther into becoming some kind of original vampire hunter, and Bonnie had been brainwashed into giving him her blood in order to help him turn.

That decade had not been kind to Bonnie.

She's not sure what look she had on her face, but when she comes back to the present Kai is looking at her in concern. "I take it that's a no as well?"

"I'm sorry. I'm trying not to let what happened there affect what I do here, but sometimes a memory will hit and….." Bonnie trails off.

Kai pulls the grocery cart and Bonnie to the side so they're not blocking the aisle for anybody. "You don't ever need to apologize for that. Look, I'm sure there are things that you haven't told me, or you've just glossed over. I don't have to tell you that you've mostly likely got some pretty serious PTSD from all the shit you went through over there." Bonnie huffs out a laugh, but manages to nod in agreement.

"I'm just sorry I can't help you deal with it. I've got my family as well as a shrink that I can talk to whenever I need to for my issues, but you're kinda stuck with just me, Sheila, and Mason." Kai continues.

"And I'm extremely grateful for you guys, that's more than I had over there most days. I'll be fine, just give me a quiet evening of meditating and relaxing to re-center myself and I'll be good to go again." Bonnie reached out to link her hand with his.

Kai brought their joined hands up to press a kiss to the back of her hand, but halted when he saw what was on her arm. "You found it?"

Bonnie looked at the charm bracelet that belonged to her other self. "Hmm? No, this was in her jewelry box. Wait, _you_ gave this to her?" That made so much more sense, Bonnie thought to herself.

Her other self had a pretty nice assortment of jewelry to choose from, although Bonnie was initially wary of wearing any piece, knowing that most would have come from Damon. She didn't want to open any new can of worms. When she came across the delicate charm bracelet though, Bonnie had instinctively known that it couldn't have been from Damon. It was too modest, too simple, and nothing like the other flashy pieces sitting untouched.

Most of the charms that were on it Bonnie didn't mind wearing because they could still apply to her. The one exception was the gavel charm that she assumed was because her other self had been a paralegal. She had taken that one off and was looking for something to replace it with, something that represented _this_ Bonnie in this life.

She watched Kai's face as he stroked the bracelet and fought back a wave of jealousy. Logically she knew that she had nothing to worry about, but her early relationship with Jeremy flashed before her eyes. She does not want to come second to a ghost again.

"Do you want it back?" Bonnie offered.

Kai snapped out of his daze, "No. It just took me by surprise. You….she said it was lost." He rolled his eyes "I'm pretty sure she stopped wearing it because Damon didn't like that it came from me."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

Bonnie had no clue what to say to that, and apparently neither did Kai. They both resumed grocery shopping in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Bonnie knew Kai had to be distracted because he willingly followed her into the freezer section. She was calculating if she could get away with slipping one of those frozen Sara Lee pound cakes in the cart without him noticing when she heard a high pitched shriek.

"OMG Bonnie! And Kai! It's so good to see BOTH of you!" Bonnie whipped around to see a girl around her age come at her with her arms open. Kai shot her a _WTF_ look, Bonnie returned it with a shrug. The girl threw her arms around Bonnie, chattering on in a loud voice "I've been meaning to catch up with you since you came back from _your trip_." The girl emphasized the last two words.

Bonnie realized that she did know the girl. She was the person at the counter who made the supportive comment when Bonnie went to pick up her food in the café. Bonnie regarded her curiously while she gestured to the other aisles with her head. "Okay, I gotta go, but good seeing you two." She hurried off, leaving Bonnie and Kai staring at her in confusion.

"Okay, that just happened, right? I didn't hallucinate that?" Kai asked in bewilderment. "What was that?"

Bonnie expression cleared as she quickly grabbed the cart, "It was a heads-up, we need to hurry up and leave this aisle."

"What, why?" No sooner than he asked the question did they see Damon round the corner.

"Dammit." Bonnie said under her breath, hoping he would be civil and they could all be adults, but one look at Damon's face and Bonnie knew she could kiss that hope goodbye. He looked like he hadn't slept in ages and was spoiling for a fight. Bonnie sent up a quick prayer that nobody would be around recording this interaction.

"How domestic. Remember when we used to go grocery shopping together?" Bonnie knew this Damon was referring to this current world, but her mind shifted to the months she was trapped in 1994. Bickering over what to choose, and who would push the cart, it was one of Bonnie's least painful memories of Damon.

"Not particularly." She said curtly.. Even as she hears Kai snicker from her left side, she knows it was a poor choice of words. Damon silently regards her and Bonnie sighs because she knows he's looking to get a rise out of either her or Kai. "Damon, whatever you're about to say, please don't. Just turn around, we'll do the same, and we can all have a good afternoon."

Of course Damon ignores her words, "Bon Bon, I'm just trying to help out. You're in a new relationship and it can be tricky discovering what your new significant other likes. For instance," He leans over to inspect their basket, "I really hope those Poppy seed bagels are for you, Parker, Bonnie here prefers Cinnamon Raisin." He steps back with a smug look on his face.

Kai chuckles, and Bonnie hears shades of _that_ Kai in his laugh. The Kai that he is careful to keep subdued, but leaks out every now and then. "Maybe you should focus on your own shopping, Damon. If you're looking for the diapers and formula, you're in the wrong aisle."

Damon sneers, "Doesn't change the fact that I'm right. You would think all that time you spent begging for scraps, you would have learned what she likes at least." She shouldn't be, but she's surprised that Damon is so hell bent on taunting Kai.

"What the hell, Damon? That was out of line, and you know it." She places herself in between the two.

"He's a big boy Bonnie, let him speak for himself." She was right, Damon is itching for a fight, and she knows Kai would only be too happy to oblige him.

"You're not worth the effort, Salvatore. Move on." Kai's voice at her back is low and she has to fight the urge to shiver. She raises her arm to point at Damon, "Just go, please." He looks like he wants to argue, but thankfully after a few seconds he turns to leave.

Until he spots the bracelet on her arm.

"I see you're back to wearing that thing." He lets out a laugh, "Can't afford anything better, huh? You should show him some of the stuff I gave you, Bon. Let him get an idea of what real jewelry looks like."

Bonnie is about to retort, but Kai beats her to it, "Oh yeah, let me see. There's the diamond earrings you gave her for graduation, even though she's not a big fan of diamonds. The pearl necklace that you insisted she wear to your snooty pretentious dinners with your clients. The emerald necklace and ring that you bought as an apology for not being there when she needed you the most." Bonnie thinks this is in reference to when her other self had a miscarriage. But what did Kai mean by Damon not being there? She made a mental note to ask about that later.

As Kai continues to list the various pieces of jewelry that she had come across in her perusal of her other self's jewelry box, she finds herself a little gobsmacked. How closely did he watch her other self to know, (in intricate detail, no less!) what she had hidden away? She feels the jealousy creep back up and not for the first time wonder if he's with her because he wants her, or if he's feeling the remnants of his crush on the other girl who never gave him a chance.

"I gave her that bracelet as a gift, no strings attached." Kai is on a roll now. "Every single thing you gave her was either in apology for all the times you fucked up, or because of guilt."

"And you hated that, didn't you?" Damon steps closer, "You hated the fact that while you were pining away, I was the one she chose, fuck ups and all. I had to leave in order for you to ever be in the running. Let's face it, if I hadn't left you'd still be number 2."

Bonnie winces, knowing that is was most likely true. If Damon hadn't run off with Elena, her other self probably would never had found herself on that road that night, heartsick and looking for some kind of validation. No car accident at the right time meant no body for her to switch with, and no new Bonnie for Kai to have his shot with.

Kai is silent, and while Bonnie knows that he's thinking the same thing she is, Damon takes his silence as acknowledgment of the truth. "Yeah I thought so, best of luck to you. It's hard to forget your first," Here he takes a long look at Bonnie, "everything."

Bonnie was so done with this conversation, "Look, I've tried to be civil with you, but you don't seem to be getting the hint, so let me be clear: Take your pathetic ass on somewhere, Damon. You made your bed, now go lie in it with the woman that you chose to be with." Bonnie knew she was louder than she needed to be, but she's hoping to finally get the words to stick in his brain. She turned to leave, but was halted by Damon reaching for her arm.

Kai moved so fast, she barely registered he had swapped places with her until she was standing behind him. "You have a real problem with keeping your hands to yourself, Salvatore. Better look into that before it gets you into trouble." Damon sneers, "She used to love my hands on her. Didn't you Bon Bon?" She recognizes the words are the same ones he uttered when he broke into her apartment all those months ago.

"Shit."

* * *

Once Damon had uttered those words, Bonnie had closed her eyes in resignation, so she didn't actually **_see_** the first punch being thrown. In the end, it took three people, plus the store security, to separate the two. Sheriff Forbes was called and although the store owner declines to press charges as long as they paid for the items that were broken, spilled, or damaged, she took them into the back and read them both the riot act.

Sometime during the hectic aftermath, Elena had shown up. Bonnie had fully expected the other girl to erupt in hysterics, but to her (and everyone else's') surprise, all she did was nod in Bonnie's direction. They both sat and waited until the Sheriff was done with their significant others.

Damon came out first, and Bonnie knows he is going to have one hell of a time trying to explain why he's sporting dual black eyes, and what looks like a broken nose, to his clients _. 'To his wife as well'_ a voice whispers in Bonnie's head. She saw Elena's jaw drop in shock at her husband's appearance.

Kai sauntered out next, aside from a bit of blood that came from a split lip, and him looking a bit disheveled, there was no indication that he was even in a fight. There was a slight smile playing on his lips and Bonnie knew he had thoroughly enjoyed himself. They had swung by the E.R just to make sure he hadn't damaged his hand, and after getting a clean bill of health and stopping by her place to pick up a change of clothes, they set off for Kai's apartment.

* * *

When they finally arrived back at Kai's place, they were greeted by a host of people. Mason and Tyler were slapping Kai on the back and congratulating him for giving Damon what he deserved. Luke rolled his eyes at their overt displays of macho-ness, but Bonnie saw him give his brother a thumbs up in approval. Katherine was lamenting the fact that she wasn't there to capture it on video for future viewings.

Under the guise of putting her overnight bag away, she escaped into the bedroom for a minute or two of quiet time. She could still hear the boys discussing the fight and wanting a blow by blow reenactment. However, it wasn't until Tyler asked how it felt to finally throw down with Damon that Bonnie realized what was bothering her about what happened.

She wasn't sure if Kai was defending her, or the other Bonnie. He had never hidden or made any excuses about his feeling for her other self, but as she recalled how he was able to name each piece of jewelry, and the meaning behind each, she wondered if his tussle with Damon was more about Damon being with the girl he wanted for so long.

Bonnie reclined on the bed and threw her hand over her eyes, she knew it was petty, because the other girl was gone, and unlike her former world, she knew she wasn't coming back, but the familiar feelings of being second best were rising again.

"Bonnie?" The door creaked open and Liv poked her head in followed by Katherine. "You okay?" Bonnie sat up quickly and pasted a smile on her face. "Yeah, I'm good. Just taking a minute to myself. Do you need something?" She tried to divert the conversation, but knew Liv would see right through that.

Liv regarded her silently "What's wrong?"

"Nothing!" Her denial was swift.

"Yeah okay, that's why you're hiding out in here and not out there riding your boyfriend like a stallion." Kat snorted.

"Brother! He's my brother!" Liv exclaimed. Kat shrugged in apology. "It's true though, normally after a fight the blood is pumping and you're still being flooded with adrenaline, and all you want to do-"

"Okay, we get it!" Bonnie interrupts before she could really get going.

"So back to the original question, what's wrong?" Liv asked again.

Bonnie had been in this world for a few months shy of a year, and sometimes she was still taken aback by the concern her friends showed in regards to her feelings. She was sure a big chunk of that was probably due to guilt over their pulling away and distancing themselves from her other self, but it was still genuine and it warmed Bonnie's heart.

She flopped back on the bed, "It's not that I don't appreciate Kai decking Damon, cause if he hadn't done it, I was two seconds from snapping his neck."

"But, you don't know if he did it for the right reasons?" Kat guessed. Bonnie turned to see the other girl leaning against the wall with a knowing look on her face. Bonnie nods, "It sounds stupid, and I should be thankful that my boyfriend won't hesitate to throw hands in my defense….but, was it really in my defense, or because his ego had been bruised for so long and it's only recently that he could do something about it?" Bonnie said in a rush.

"Yes." Liv nodded.

"Yes to the former or the latter?" Bonnie needed a little clarification.

"If I had to guess, it would be a bit of both." Liv sat next to Bonnie on the bed. "You probably don't want to hear this, but you weren't really around to see how you being with that asshole affected him. I'm not saying that you owed him anything." Liv rushed to say upon seeing Bonnie raise an eyebrow. "You know that's not what I'm saying, but Damon hurt you so much and none of us were allowed to ever voice our opinion of him without you flying off the handle."

"So we held it all in, Kai more than anyone else. That's why he started distancing himself from us. " Kat took up where Liv left off, coming to sit on her other side. "He knew that if he ever so much as brushed against Damon too hard, the asshole would have blown it out of proportion and forced you to choose between the two."

Bonnie sat up, "I just hate the fact that I'm the cause of this. I'm not-"

"If you even think about saying that you're not worth it, I will smother you with this pillow." Liv threatened.

Bonnie laughed, "I was gonna say, I'm not even sure why Damon is doing this. He was the one that cheated, then ran off and eloped with Elena. They just had a baby for Christ sake! Why is he so focused on what I'm doing, and who I'm doing it with?"

"He's one of those, 'I don't want you, but I don't want anyone else to have you' guys. You were supposed to fade away into the background until he decided he wanted to play with you again." Kat was studying her nails.

"Yeah, well play time for him is over where I'm concerned."

"Have I mentioned just how much I am loving this new Bonnie?" Kat beamed in her direction. "Now that the serious stuff is out of the way, we have to talk about the real dilemma here. How exactly are you going to thank Kai for his gallant actions?" She wiggled her eyebrows up and down.

Bonnie and Liv exchanged a look before grabbing a pillow each and pelting the brunette.

"My hair!" Katherine shrieked before grabbing another pillow and going on the offense. "You bitches are going down!"

"That's what he said!" Liv yelled before getting in a good hit on Bonnie.

"Same team, Blondie!"

"Sorry, Bon. Every man…..woman for themselves." Liv was unapologetic.

"Okay, I see how it is. Game on." Bonnie swung her pillow, not caring what direction it went.

* * *

"I can't believe you had a pillow fight, and didn't let us at least watch!" Kai complained once everyone had left.

"You realize your sister was in there with us, right?" Bonnie arched a brow.

Kai shuddered in revulsion, "Okay, subject change please." She laughed before running a hand down his arm to lift his hand. "Is it sore? Do you need more ice?"

"Nah, I'm good. C'mere." He lifted his arm to allow her to settle against him. They both sat there and just enjoyed each other's company for a bit.

"Wanna tell me what had you hiding in the bedroom?" He finally asked. Bonnie shook her head, even after all this time, she was still surprised when he was able to hone in on her feelings.

"It's dumb." Bonnie presses closer to Kai, "Residual feelings and all that."

"What feelings?" Kai started playing with a lock of her hair.

"Envy. Jealousy. All that fun stuff." Kai paused, "Okay, I'm gonna need more information."

Bonnie took a deep breath, "I don't even know how to say this without sounding crazy. The way you listed every piece of jewelry she had, I know you said you used to watch her, but Kai you nailed pretty much every piece! I don't think I've ever had anyone pay that much attention to me." She focused on a spot on the wall, "It's gonna sound like I'm being petty as shit, but I was jealous, and worried that since you couldn't have who you wanted, you just settled for me."

Kai started to object, but she wasn't done yet. "Yes, I know it's dumb, and I know I sound like I'm whining." She meets his eyes, "I've been in this situation before, and I don't want to be constantly wondering if I'm just a consolation prize. It felt like your issue with Damon was less about defending me right then and there, and more like you finally getting a chance to pay him back for all the heartache he's caused you over the years because he was with the girl you wanted."

He was silent for a while, and Bonnie was worried that she'd pushed him too far when he started talking.

"You talk to yourself when you're gardening."

Bonnie pulled back to look at him in surprise, "What? No I don't."

He smiled softly at her, "Yes, you do. You talk to the plants and the soil. Like you're having an actual conversation and expect them to answer." He resumed playing with her hair as he spoke, "You're totally obsessed with that damn Kardashian show, even though you try and hide it. You'd rather drink green tea as opposed to black. You hate to have your food mix on your plate, I'm not sure what that's about, but whatever you weirdo." He broke off laughing when Bonnie poked him in his side.

"You value your relationships so much more, I think it's because you know what it's like to lose them. You can't see it, but the small things you do, like bringing Luke lunch when he can't break away, or remembering that Rebekah likes the same tea that you do, so you pick up some for her when you buy some, it's noticed and appreciated.

I totally understand why you'd question what I feel for you, this is unconventional as hell, and unfortunately like you said, you've been in this situation before and it didn't really turn out well for you. But Bonnie" He cupped her face in his hands, "I want you to hear me when I say that I know _you_ , I love _you_ and I'll prove it as much and as often as I need to until you believe me."

Bonnie could feel her heart expanding, "You are such a stalker." She joked, trying to stave off the tears that wanted to come. She knew she would still have her doubts every now and then, that was only natural, but hopefully those would fade over time.

He kissed her forehead and gathered her close to him again, "If I'm being totally truthful, a part of me was happy that Damon finally stepped out of line. Yes, I've been wanting to rearrange his face for some time, not even gonna lie about that, and yeah it was partly because I was jealous of his relationship with her. But it was mostly because he just won't quit. You've been telling him to leave you alone, and he's just blown by whatever boundaries you set."

"Yeah, I know. That's why I've been toying with the idea of telling him about me." Bonnie confessed. Kai pulled back in surprise, "Are you serious?"

"As long as he thinks he's talking to _her_ , he won't stop. He needs to understand that I have no romantic feelings for him whatsoever, that I never have, and never will. I was willing to at least be friends with him, but I know he'd take that the wrong way." She shifted in Kai's arms. "It sucks because he eventually became one of my best friends, and a part of me misses hanging out with him."

"I'm not gonna comment on that, but whatever you decide, I'll back you up." She felt better knowing Kai would stand beside her no matter what her decision. She hadn't fully made up her mind on telling him, and she desperately hoped he took what happened at the grocery store as a hint to stay away.

"I want to tell my dad too. Partly because we've been getting closer, and every time he mentions something that happens in the past, I feel like a fraud, but I also want to ask about Abby." She revealed.

His hand stilled in her hair, "You gonna try and find her?" Bonnie shrugged, "I just wanna know what happened to her, that's all. I know it's probably not gonna pan out, but I would like to at least know."

"I don't want to see you hurt if you can't find her, or worse, you do find her and she rejects you."

Bonnie chuckled bitterly, "It's nothing that I haven't gone through before."

"I know, and I'm trying to shield you from that pain." He tightened his hold on her. Bonnie felt overwhelmed by his concern for her. She tilted her head and kissed the side of his mouth, careful to avoid his split lip. "Thank you." Their comfortable silence resumed, and Bonnie was nodding off when Kai nudged her.

"So what was the verdict on those Halloween costumes?"

* * *

Bonnie stood in front of her dresser that held the jewelry box containing all the gifts that Damon had given her other self. Part of her wanted to pawn everything and use the money to buy Kai that expensive set of kitchen knives she knows he's been drooling over, but that would just be petty. As satisfying as that would have been, she didn't want to stoke the fires any more than she had to.

In the end, she did the decent thing and gave it all back to Damon. He fought it of course, but Bonnie wasn't budging. It wasn't hers to have, and there was no way she'd wear any of it knowing the history of the pieces. She decided against letting him in on her origins, he had enough on his plate to deal with.

He'd actually apologized for his crass words and for goading Kai into a fight. Explaining that Tatia had been keeping them up and neither he nor Elena was getting any sleep. He promised to abide by her wishes to leave her and Kai alone from now on and just focus on his little family. For the first time since she'd been reacquainted with Damon, she saw a glimmer of her old friend.

She also gave the charm bracelet back to Kai.

He took it back with a small nod, as if he'd expected nothing less from her. She explained that if they were going to try and make an honest go of a relationship that they had to leave certain things in the past. Bonnie did a complete sweep through the apartment to see if there was anything else of her other self's old life that she wanted to get rid of or donate.

Afterwards, she felt as if a weight had been lifted from her chest. She was sure she'd come across small things here and there, but for the most part, the life she was living now was unequivocally Bonnie Sheila Bennett.

* * *

 **A/N: This is the first part of something I was working on for Halloween. The second part will be posted separately since I'm also using it as my contribution for Boo-Kai 2k18 Week.**


	2. Late Night Visit

A/N: The second part, and my contribution to Bookai2k18 Week!

* * *

Pulling up to Vera's, Bonnie cut the engine and took a minute to calm her racing heart. She could not believe she was actually going to go through with this. She tightened the belt on her trench coat as she made her way inside the closed restaurant, praying that she wouldn't run into anyone at this hour. She shuddered to think how mortifying it would be to have to make small talk with Mr. Parker all the while knowing the real reason she was there.

Luck seemed to be on her side this time, and she made it all the way to Kai's office without seeing a soul. Taking that as a good sign, she knocked on the door once before peeking in, "Hey." Kai's head shot up.

"Not that I'm not happy to see you, but what are you doing here?"

"Your dad called, he said he'd given you a ride in tonight, but forgot that he'd made plans to hang with my dad. Something about watching a game? I didn't really ask." Bonnie walked in and closed the door behind her.

"He should have called one of the wonder twins. It's late and I know you have to work tomorrow." Kai protested.

"Actually, no I don't. Remember? The shop is closed for the week because Elijah is expanding into the next building. So I get to make my own hours until it's done, and I've been hunched over reading Latin for the last few hours. I'm glad your dad called, it gave me a reason to take a break." She stood in the middle of the room fiddling with her belt strap. He got up to greet her with a kiss.

She could tell the exact moment it registered what she was wearing. He stopped dead as he did a slow sweep of her form. He took in the sight of her artfully disheveled hair (she discovered that he loved her natural curls as much as she did) and the dramatic makeup on her face. His gaze swept over her form that was covered by a dark trench coat cinched at the waist by a belt, and continued down to take in her stocking covered legs and ending at the stilettos that graced her feet.

He sat heavily on his desk. "Did you…are you…what?" He could barely get the sentence out. Bonnie smirked to herself as she watched her normally extremely eloquent boyfriend struggle to find the words.

"Use your words, Malachai." Bonnie teased. She slowly undid the belt and let her coat fall open, letting Kai get a peek at the orange and black balconette bra and garter set she had gone back to purchase on her own. "Trick or treat."

She took great satisfaction in seeing Kai's mouth drop open and as she fully removed her coat Bonnie swore she heard him whimper. "You like?" She asked as she tossed her coat on the couch making sure to keep the belt in hand.

"You know that's a rhetorical question, Bon. I'm two seconds from bending you over this desk." He shifted on the desk. "Can I touch you?" Bonnie smiled, Kai had caught on pretty early that she was a big proponent of asking before he did anything. She strutted closer until she was within arm's reach, he shot an arm out, lightning fast and looped it around her waist, bringing her to stand flush against the desk. His other hand slid up the outside of her thigh, and continued up to stroke the side of her breast before tangling in her hair to tilt her head to the side so he could nibble on her neck. Bonnie sighed happily and steadied herself by bracing her hands on his thighs.

"Is this my birthday gift?" Kai teases. Bonnie pulls back in confusion, "It's not your birthday, is it?" Kai stops and blinks at her. "You don't know when my birthday is?"

"No! Why would I know when your birthday is? Up until fairly recently, I hated you. Well, not _you_ you, but you know what I mean. Wait, did I miss your birthday?" She feels fairly certain that she has, it's almost Halloween and she doesn't remember hearing anything about any birthday parties being planned for either Jo or Kai.

"Don't worry about it, it was while you were recovering and still in your 'I hate him, but I'm strangely attracted to him stage'. Kai attempts to tug Bonnie back within reach, but she swats his seeking hands away, "No, wait. When is your birthday, then? I want to make sure I don't miss it next year."

"So not important right now, Bonster. Can we please get back to two minutes ago?" Kai snatches the forgotten belt clenched in Bonnie's hand and loops it around her body to steer her back to her former position in between his spread legs. "Much better."

"Kai, I-" Whatever she was about to say was swallowed by Kai's mouth on hers. She figured she could get to the bottom of it later, there were more important things to focus on at the moment.

Like the feel of Kai's hands as they wandered all over her body, coming to rest on the swell of her ass. He palmed a cheek in each hand and pulled back slightly to speak in her ear, "I wasn't joking about bending you over this desk, you know. Ever since that day you came in to ask me to Stefan's showing, that's all I can think about. And now you show up looking like every fantasy I've ever had coming to life?" He licks down her neck to her collarbone, "Wanna give me a belated birthday gift?"

Bonnie started to laugh before really thinking about it, she'd be lying if she said the thought had never crossed her mind. His desk was large with a nice mahogany finish at just the right height for her to lay on without too much trouble.

Her mind made up, she took a few steps back, "Well, I'd be a horrible girlfriend if I didn't at least try to make up for missing your birthday this year." Kai's eyebrows shot up and he scrambled off the desk, "Seriously? You don't have to if you don't want to-" This time Bonnie cut him off with a kiss, winding her arms around his middle and leading him in a slow turn so she now leaned against his desk.

She broke the kiss and turned, making sure to brush against his front while she splayed herself over his desk. The heels she was wearing elongated her legs and she arched her back slightly so her ass was on prominent display.

"Fuck me." He said reverently as he wasted no time in taking her hips in his hands and grinding himself against her.

"I mean, if you're into that we can talk later-oh!" Her smart remark was cut off as he gave her a smack on the ass. "Too much?" He rubbed the area gently, easing the sting.

Bonnie shook her head, "I'm good." If she were being truthful with herself, while she loved when their lovemaking was gentle, she also liked when they got a little rough. She'd had to work with Kai to reassure him that she wasn't fragile, that she could handle a bit of heavy handedness. Although it seems as if he's gotten the message by now if his earlier actions were any indication.

"As nice as this is, it needs to come off." He unhooked her bra and eased up on her back so she could remove it completely. She tossed it somewhere over her shoulder before resuming her position. With nothing in his way now, he ran a hand up her back till he reached the nape of her neck, then he used his nails to lightly run down her spine, causing her to shiver.

"Kai" She whined, pushing back to grind against him. She could feel his erection straining the front of his pants.

"Patience, Bon." He suddenly dropped to his knees and Bonnie felt his hands run up the outside of her legs, feeling the material of the stockings that she wore until he got to the tiny pair of panties that she wore. "These need to go too." He slid them down her legs, helping her step out of them before spreading her legs enough to allow space for him to situate himself in between them. He wasted no time in putting his tongue and fingers to work.

Bonnie scrambles to hold on to the edge of the desk in order to anchor herself as her moans reverberate throughout the room. Bonnie feels a little ashamed at how quickly she tumbles into her orgasm, although admittedly she'd been on edge for hours imagining what his reaction would be to her surprise.

Kai eases away, placing soft kisses on the inside of her thighs, his hands running over the toned globes of her ass. Bonnie feels him pull away and the next thing she hears is the jingle of his belt being undone and his zipper being hastily dragged down. She turns her head to the side to watch him as he sheds his pants and boxers. As much as she teases him about his stalker habits, Bonnie has developed a few of her own. One of the reasons her favorite position is on top is because she gets to watch his face while she's riding him.

He catches her watching him, "Have I told you lately how much I fucking love you?" He asks right as he thrusts inside. Bonnie clenches around him and his groan is music to her ears. He sets a demanding pace and she's grateful for the few extra inches the stilettos provide, otherwise, she'd be raising on her tip toes every time he plunges inside.

He grabs her hip with one hand while the other slides up to grip her shoulder to give him extra leverage as his hips piston in and out of her. "Fuck, fuck, fuck." Bonnie slides a hand down to where they're joined, anxious to welcome the impending explosion she knows is coming.

Or she tries to.

Kai catches her hand and slows his hips so he is barely moving, he leans forward to mouth the back of her neck. "I told you to be patient, Bonnie. Now I'm going to have to restrain you." His voice is low and it hits her in that dark spot that she rarely acknowledges. From out of thin air he retrieves the belt to her forgotten trench coat. He brings both arms behind her and soon he's back to his powerful thrusts, this time using her tied hands behind her back as leverage.

It doesn't take long for both of them to fall over the edge, Kai's hips start to stutter and he slips a hand in between them to stroke her clit and Bonnie comes with a loud cry. He comes seconds after her with a growl that makes her sorry that she can't see his face. He slumps over her, and for a solid minute, all they do is try to get their breath back.

Eventually he realizes he must be crushing her under his weight. He raises his torso and releases her arms so he can untie the belt binding her hands together. He spreads her arms across the desk. "Did I hurt you?" He asks as he massages her shoulders to stave off any potential stiffness.

"Mmmm." Bonnie is too blissed out to properly answer.

"I'll take that as a no." He manages to wrap her back up in her trench coat and settle her on his couch before he redresses himself and heads to the kitchen for water and snacks. While he is pre occupied Bonnie stands on wobbly feet and makes her way into the little bathroom tucked away in the corner. As she's freshening up she notices her hair is flat, not too much she can do about that without the proper tools. The make-up that Katherine spent so much time helping her on is smudged beyond repair, so she just washes it all off.

She walks out to see Kai setting down a platter of various desserts. "Is that cheesecake?" Kai nods and holds the plate out to her. Bonnie skips over and places a smacking kiss on his cheek in thanks. Bonnie is really starting to get a newfound appreciation for Halloween.

She's still not doing matching costumes, though.


	3. Bon Voyage

"Wait, Bunny, before you go, I want to give you this."

Bonnie pauses as her father reaches over and pulls out an envelope. "Remember when you were supposed to visit me in New Orleans, but got sick?" Bonnie kept her face a blank. She was always uneasy when someone referenced the time before she arrived in this world because she never knew how to react or what to say. Luckily her memory lapses and different recalling of events were chalked up to the accident.

Rudy must have thought the same thing, because he cleared his throat and hurried to explain. "It's okay if you don't remember, I actually forgot about it until recently as well. Since you were unable to visit then, I started looking into other vacations and I remember that you used to always talk about wanting to go on a cruise." Bonnie's eyes widened in surprise as he opened the envelope and pulled out tickets.

"I asked Miss Jeannette to keep an eye out for deals, but it quickly fell by the wayside with…other things." He kept his head down. Bonnie reached over took his hand in hers and squeezed softly. She knew that while this Rudy had been just as absent as her own father, her other self had also been steadily withdrawing from everyone around her.

He squeezed her hand back, "While she was cleaning out her desk last week, she came across one of her old notepads and reminded me that we never finalized the details for a trip. So I went ahead and booked tickets for a 7 day cruise to Bermuda."

Bonnie yelled in joy and threw her arms around her father. "Oh my God! This is awesome! Thank you dad." Rudy laughed and hugged her back. Bonnie started looking through the brochures, "Oh, look at this! Will our rooms have an ocean view? Actually, you know what? The whole ship has an ocean view, I won't mind being stuck inside at night." She took a closer look at the itinerary, "Wait, why is there only one room? I love you, but you after a few drinks? I'll be up all night while you snore away. No offense."

"None taken." He looked nervous again, "the original plan had two separate rooms for you and me."

"You're not coming with me?" Bonnie felt her excitement dim. She had vivid memories of traveling with her father in her world on some of his business trips. It was always a fun adventure for Bonnie. Meeting new people, staying in fancy hotels, getting to do something that neither Caroline nor Elena got to do.

"I wish I could, Bunny. You know how I've been tying up loose ends with my old company before starting my own?" At her nod he continues, "Well, I've just been invited to attend a retreat that has great networking potential, and ordinarily I wouldn't entertain it-"

"It's okay, dad. I get it. Have I told you how proud I am of you striking out on your own?" Bonnie knows her father has regrets on how estranged he's allowed himself to be from his daughter. His leaving the company he'd been at for 20+ years to start his own in his hometown in order to be closer to her was proof that he was trying at least.

Rudy gave his daughter a grateful smile, "I allowed too much to come between us, and I'm thankful that we get a second chance to try and close some of that space." He took a sip of his drink, "So, since I won't be able to go, I upgraded our two cabins to a balcony stateroom."

"Seriously?" Bonnie was sad she wouldn't be going with her father, but looking at the pictures on the brochure, she was sure she'd be able to overcome her disappointment.

"You can go by yourself or take someone with you." Her father's face told her he knew exactly who she'd ask.

Bonnie pretended to think, "Hmm, who should I take?" She was practically dancing in her seat, she couldn't wait to call Kai.

"I just need you to promise me one thing." Rudy fidgeted in his seat.

"What is it?" Bonnie was barely paying attention, her mind already on the high seas with Kai by her side.

"Don't get married." Bonnie looked up in shock, "I'm sorry, what?"

"I'm not saying not ever, and I know I'm asking a lot. But I would really like to be there to walk you down the aisle."

Bonnie looked at her father as if he'd lost his mind. "I'm not getting married anytime soon, that is definitely not something you need to concern yourself with." She watched as he breathed a sigh of relief, "Where is this coming from? Oh my god, are you sick?" Bonnie started to panic, she'd just begun to have a real father-daughter relationship and she'd be damned if he up and died on her!

"No, no." Rudy hurried to ease his daughter's anxiousness, "I just know that sometimes people think that since they're on a cruise, and it's like a honeymoon, so they elope." He takes a minute to gather his thoughts, "Honestly, I was surprised you never got married to the other one, Demon."

Bonnie snorted, "You know his name is Damon, dad."

"I'll call that boy whatever I want." Rudy snapped back. "Every time I answered the phone, I was expecting to hear that you were married and that I'd missed it. I think your accident was a wake- up call for everyone involved." Bonnie nodded in agreement, she didn't know what she would have done if she had come into this world married to Damon, especially if he treated her like he treated her other self.

He would have been dead in 6 months.

Bonnie set down the brochures, "I promise you, there will be no elopements, no surprise wedding- or any other type- of announcements." She frowned. "Why? Do you know something I don't? Did he come and ask for permission? If he did, I'm going to-"

"No," Rudy interrupted laughing, "Nothing like that has happened. But I wouldn't mind if he did."

"Daddy." Bonnie whined. "That is an archaic and sexist ritual! I'm not a piece of property to be handed over! What's next, are you gonna offer him some cows or chicken as a dowry?"

"I was thinking maybe a goat…" He trailed off as Bonnie threw a napkin at him, "I'm only worth one goat?" She asked in mock outrage.

"Okay, fine. Three goats and a couple of deer, but that's only because I love venison."

* * *

"Oh and look, it's got its own balcony!" Bonnie was showing Kai the brochures that she took from her father's place. Bonnie had been waiting for Kai after his closing shift at the restaurant. He had barely cleared the door before she ambushed him going on and on about the cruise. Kai waited until she stopped for breath then backed her up against the wall.

"Hi, honey. How was your day?" Kai asked, voice coming out in a higher than normal pitch, "It was swell, darling, I love how you greet me at the door with my slippers and a drink in hand." He deliberately made his voice sound deeper. Bonnie elbowed him playfully, "Yeah, I got your slippers, Parker. But duly noted." She grumbled before raising her face for a kiss.

When they broke apart minutes later, she trailed kisses up to his ear, "Hey baby, how was your day?" Kai laughed before kissing her neck, "Better now." He breathed against her skin. For a minute they just stood there wrapped around each other, both lost in their own thoughts.

"What were you saying about a cruise?" Kai asked moments later, still mouthing at her neck.

"Hmm?" Bonnie was distracted by his mouth, as well as his hands, which had come up to slip under her shirt.

Eventually Bonnie managed to fill him in on the cruise that her father had arranged for her. Kai was predictably excited. They spent most of the next day looking up pictures of the cruise ship and researching exactly where they would be going. Since the itinerary had them leaving out of New York, Bonnie had called Nik to get his recommendations on where to stay prior to boarding the ship. To her surprise, Finn readily offered up his New York loft for them to stay in before and after their trip. Bonnie was sure Sage had something to do with it, but she wasn't going to say no to such generosity.

Bonnie counted down the time impatiently. The days seemed to crawl by until finally it was time to leave for New York. Finn's loft was spacious and beautiful and Bonnie made sure to make a note to pick out something for him especially to thank him.

Even though Caroline, Rebekah, and Katherine had tried to get her to bring every piece of clothing she owned, Bonnie had managed to keep it pared down to just one suitcase and a smaller bag for her toiletries, and ensured Kai did the same.

Stepping into the stateroom, Bonnie gave an excited squeal and took a running leap onto the bed. Kai quirked an eyebrow, "Is that gonna be something that you do every time we stay at a new place?" He asked, bringing to mind the time they stayed in the Mark Spencer in Portland.

"Maybe." She star fished out on the bed before spotting their balcony, "Take a picture, I want to send it to my dad and let him know we got on the ship."

After taking a few pictures, they unpacked before deciding to explore the ship a bit. Her father had gone all out with the extras on their trip. Food and drinks were included, as well as credits to use for the cruise ship casino.

"I think I love your dad, Bon." Kai proclaimed as he relaxed onto a deck chair. Bonnie nodded in agreement as they spent the rest of the afternoon lounging around and meeting other people. When dinnertime hit, Kai suggested they try out one of the fancier restaurants on the ship. Bonnie loved how he was always on the lookout for new recipes and food ideas, he truly loved being a chef and it showed in everything he made.

Bonnie decided to dress up in a body skimming, knee length, gold dress. She left her hair in the loose curls that she knew Kai loved to see her in. Kai looked equally impressive in black slacks and a black button up with a gray vest.

The restaurant turned out to be a great idea. Kai fell in love with the menu and even got the okay to come back into the kitchen during their stay if he wanted to, and because of Kai being so appreciative of their food, the couple scored a free bottle of champagne.

"I love this place, I'm never leaving." Kai declared when they got back to their room, tipsy off the great food and extra alcohol. He stopped talking to watch Bonnie laugh then start to hum to herself as she removed her dress and make-up.

"I love you, you know." Bonnie met his eyes in the mirror with a soft smile, "Yeah, I know. I love you too." She went back to her nightly routine, only to around to discover Kai half undressed and knocked out on the bed.

"Of course."

* * *

He made sure to make it up to her the next day.

Bonnie woke to find Kai's fingers between her legs, "Mmm, well someone is up early this morning." She spread her legs to allow Kai to slide down and throw her legs over his shoulders. Knowing that they didn't have anywhere to be or a job to rush off to, Kai took his time leisurely licking Bonnie, bringing her to the edge and refusing to let her come until she was fisting his hair in frustration and all but riding his face.

She was still trembling when he withdrew and coaxed her to turn on her stomach. He positioned himself behind her and slid into her with one smooth thrust. Bonnie moaned and reached out to grab anything to hold onto. Their love making was gentle and slow and left them both spent.

Once they managed to get out of bed and out of the room, they went to find something to eat. The restaurant they ate at last night wasn't open for breakfast or lunch, so they got to try out another place on the ship. The next day followed the same pattern of late mornings and exploring the ship.

The trouble began on the third night after they crossed over into where one of the axis of the Bermuda Triangle was supposedly established. Bonnie was in the midst of giving Kai (and herself) a very good nightcap when she suddenly heard music. It sounded a lot like a 90's medley of songs. She chalked it up to one of their neighbors blasting their music and didn't think too much of it.

She was shaken awake by a wild eyed Kai the next morning. "Hey, I don't know if I drank too much last night, or if I was slipped something, but I swear my reflection just winked at me."

"What?" It was way too early in the morning for weird dreams. "Are you sure you weren't still sleeping?"

"No, Bonnie. I'm sure I was awake." Bonnie sighed and got out of bed. "Fine, let's go over what you were doing-Ah!" She yelped, "Something shocked me."

Kai took her hand, "Yeah they said that would happen, something about static charge and blah, blah, blah." He led her into the bathroom. "I was standing here brushing my teeth and I looked up, and I swear I saw a reflection of myself, but it wasn't me."

Bonnie glanced in the mirror, nothing looked out of place. She looked back at Kai "You sure you weren't still dreaming? You did think you were being chased by a giant snake a few weeks ago."

Kai looked defeated, "Maybe I was still asleep." He mutters to himself. Bonnie leads him back to bed, "Why were you up so early anyways?" Kai yawns, "I wanted to surprise you with breakfast in bed."

Bonnie pushed him back onto the bed, "I'll get it, you just lay here. Get some more sleep." Bonnie tucks him in and heads to the bathroom to get dressed. She's in her bra and panties when she hears a whistle. She turns to scold Kai, but he's fast asleep. "Okay, now I'm imagining things." She finishes getting dressed and heads out to locate something for breakfast. "Ow!" She received another shock as she closed the door to their room.

She had barely reached the dining area when she heard music again. She was bopping along with the music as she loaded up a few plates to take back to the room when she overheard a few of the staff talking amongst themselves.

 _"_ _I am so sick of hearing this playlist."_ Bonnie supposed if you had to listen to it over and over it could weigh on you.

 _"_ _Ugh, I know. At least it's not playing that stupid Spin Doctors song. I don't care what Jimmy says, he's behind that."_ The voice continued.

Bonnie froze as she registered what she just heard. "Excuse me." She had no qualms about butting in on their conversation, "What song are you talking about?"

The man nearest to her table answered, "Oh, it's that Two Princes song that was big in the 90's. A year or so ago we started hearing it non-stop, but only when we were in the triangle." Bonnie is sure her face is one of shock, the man hurries to reassure her, "I'm pretty sure it's just one of our deck hands trying to liven up the experience. Nothing to worry about." Bonnie smiles weakly as she carries her plates back to her room, mind going crazy.

A year ago was when she died, could her death have released Kai from her prison? She recalls Vincent saying that there are places where the barriers between the worlds are thin, it would explain why it happens in the Bermuda Triangle where there is a lot of unexplained phenomenon. She hurries back as she thinks back to Kai being adamant about his reflection winking at him.

She bursts back into the room as Kai emerges from the bathroom. "Hey, did you get something good?" Bonnie set the plates on the table, grabbing Kai's arm as she leads him to their balcony. "Mal, come out on the balcony, I think I saw some whales." Ignoring his confused look at calling him by the never used shortened version of his name, she pulled him out on the balcony.

Once they're out on the balcony, Bonnie wasted no time, "I think you were right about your reflection winking at you. When I was getting dressed I heard a whistle and I thought it was you, but you'd already gone back to sleep." She quickly explains what she heard in the dining area, and what Vincent had told her about the lines between the worlds blurring.

Kai takes a moment, "So you're telling me that you think because of your death releasing him from his prison, he's out here just fucking with people?"

"Yeah, pretty much. Not just fucking with people, though. Trying to cross over. And I'm thinking that since he saw you-"

"He thinks he may have a chance to cross over through me?" Kai asked incredulously.

Bonnie shrugged, "I mean, that's how I crossed over, I took the place of my other self. But we have the advantage because I don't think he knows who I am. He might think this is just another world that just happens to have you and me together in it."

"Okay, so what now?" Kai asked. Bonnie could tell he was trying not to look like he wanted to turn around and look in the mirror again. "Should we just go on about our business and ignore him?"

Bonnie chewed her lip and frowned, "No, I don't think that will work anymore. I've always said he was smart and more versed in magic than I am. He might have already thought of hijacking your body in order to leave."

"Can he do that?"

Bonnie gestured to herself, "I did…of course my other self was halfway-" She broke off as she watched his face tighten. "Doesn't matter, I won't let him." Bonnie said forcefully. She wrapped her arms around his waist nestled her head into the crook of his neck, "I had to die to find you, I'll be damned if he's gonna take you from me."

He cupped her face in his hands and met her forehead with his. They stayed like that for a while, looking for all the world like two young lovers having a moment. In reality they were plotting on how to draw out the other Kai and how to keep him contained until something more permanent could be done.

Coming back into the room, they forced themselves to act normally and discuss what they wanted to do for the day. They ship was scheduled to stop at one of the islands today so people could go ashore, Bonnie and Kai had decided to stay on board to draw his other self out without as many people around.

"We'll have the whole ship to ourselves." Kai said.

"Mostly." Bonnie pointed a finger at him and giggled when he nipped at it playfully. He pushed her down on the bed, and started kissing her neck.

 _"_ _Oh give me a break."_

Their eyes widened as they both heard the scoff coming from the bathroom. Bonnie didn't want to look, but she was curious to see if he still looked the same, or if desiccation had taken over. She lifted her head while her Kai was busy with her neck, and locked eyes with his double in the mirror. Her eyes widened as she watched a slow grin spread across his face and a hand come up to wave at her.

Bonnie pushed Kai away, "Oh my God. Mal!" She pitched her voice as high as it could go. He whipped up and followed her gaze. "Is this some kind of joke?"

Kai's double rolled his eyes, "Did she screw your brains out? Of course this isn't a joke!" He looks past his double to focus on Bonnie, "Is he always this dumb?"

"Hey!"

"He's not dumb." They both spoke at the same time. "You're not dumb, baby." Bonnie ran a hand up and down Kai's arm.

"Baby?" The man in the mirror gave a deep laugh. "Are you seriously using pet names right now?"

Bonnie tugged on Kai's arm, "Let's just leave Mal, he's stuck in the mirror. He can't follow us, right?"

"Mal?" The man tilted his head looking thoughtful, "I suppose it has a nice sort of symmetry to it. Bon and Mal. But to answer your question, baby." He sneered the last word, "I most certainly can follow you."

And right before their eyes he stepped through the wall and was fully corporeal in front of them. "I've been waiting a long time to get my chance at escaping. Thanks to you, Mal, I finally have a shot."

"Like hell you do, asshole." Bonnie's voice was back to normal. She quickly sent him crashing through the wall as she pulled Kai out of the room.

"What the hell was that?" Kai asked as they ran along the deck.

"Oh yeah, my magic is back." Bonnie said breathlessly.

They stopped to catch their breath when Kai pulled them into what looked like a supply closet.

"Your magic is back?" He was fighting to get his breath back. Bonnie held her hand out and simply said "Et erit lux" and a small ball of light appeared hovering over her hand. Kai stared in amazement at her face, then the ball of light, and back again.

Bonnie smiled, remembering the look of awe on her face back when she had first done the spell herself. The fact that she could bend the elements to her will had always been a thrill. A thrill that she still got a wistful ping for every now and then.

Closing her fist to extinguish the light, Bonnie ran that hand over Kai's cheek. He flinched at first, then leaned into it. "It's still warm!" he exclaimed.

"As nice as it is to introduce you to my magic, we still have other more important things to discuss." Bonnie withdrew her hand. "So we've effectively pissed him off enough to make him fully corporeal, that's good. I wanted to see if he could do it, so now we've gotta keep him that way until we pass out of the triangle."

"Why is that?" Kai leaned against the wall.

"There's no magic in this world, remember? He can't exist here." Bonnie explained.

"So we manage to subdue him somehow and when we pass through the triangle, he dies again?" Kai frowns. "Exactly how many times are you going to kill this guy, Bonnie?"

"As many times as it takes for him to stay dead!" She hisses back before seeing his shocked face. "Look, I get it. You've never seen this side of me, and you look at him and see you. If you can't do this, then we'll find a way to get you off the boat until I have him locked up somewhere."

"I'm not leaving you alone with him!" Kai objected.

"No, I think it's for the best actually. If you're not on the ship, he can't get to you and switch." Bonnie can feel herself slipping back into fight mode, "Just gotta find way to hold him."

"Hey." Kai grabbed her shoulders, "Just because I'm having second thoughts does not mean I'm going to leave you alone with him." He repeated firmly.

"We can't stay in here, we're cornered and I don't like being in closed spaces when he's on the hunt." Bonnie ignored the fluttering of her heart, having someone want to stay by her side while fighting someone was everything she'd been missing before. At this point, the ship would be mostly empty due to people taking advantage of the opportunity to go explore the island they had docked at. Kai suggested they lead him down to the lower decks to hopefully minimize running across anyone.

Once they left the closet, Bonnie made sure to keep in contact with Kai at all times as they roamed the ship. Bonnie wanted to hit up the medic bay for supplies. She had a vague plan formed in her mind as to how to deal with their intruder once and for all. They tried to look nonchalant as they wandered the deck to find a way to the lower levels while she discussed her plan with Kai. They had just made it below deck when they heard the door slam behind them. They turned to look at the man who was blocking the way they came.

"Well I admit, I did not see that coming. I know how I ended up here, but how are you here?" He looked at her, then at the man who's hand she was clinging to, "Hold up.." he snaps his fingers, then laughs, "don't tell me, you wound up dying…again!" He laughs harder, "After all your tough talk, you still wound up croaking for those worthless assholes." He slow claps, "Wow. Congratulations. You've managed to impress me with your idiotic selflessness once again."

Bonnie resisted the urge to pull Kai behind her when his double's gaze settled on him. "So let me get this straight. You never wanted to give me the time of day, but somehow you ended up with my double? Is this another hell? What kind of bullshit is that, Bonster?"

"Yeah well, this one never murdered half his family, or killed a whole coven so, I'm partial to that." Bonnie shrugged.

"That's rich," he rolled his eyes, "coming from the girl who was friends with the Stefan 'Ripper of Monterey' Salvatore, not to mention Damon 'I killed my uncle's pregnant wife for the hell of it Salvatore."

"What the fuck?" She heard Kai whisper beside her.

"Or how about Elena 'I'll kill an original vampire, thus ending his whole sire line just to get the cure because I can't handle being a vampire." His voice hardens as he steps closer. "You managed to forgive all of them for their transgressions, but when I actually tried to make amends with you, you stabbed me and stuck me in another damn prison world."

"Yeah, because nothing says I'm sorry like creeping into my bed while I'm asleep and siphoning me, right? Or how about knocking me out and taking my blood to let Lily and her pets out to terrorize everyone?" Bonnie knew her voice was wavering, but she didn't care, "Or the best apology of all, when you damn near killed me at the wedding!"

"I wasn't going to kill you. I just wanted you to finally see!" He yelled.

"See what? How unhinged you really were? Because believe me, I knew. You tied my life to Elena's and demanded Damon choose between the two of us. I'm glad he took your head off." She taunted.

He laughed again, "You wanna know the real reason Damon took my head off, Bonster? It wasn't just because he wanted to save you. He knew that if he saved you, you would feel indebted to him because he "saved your life". He held his hands up in air quotes. "And let me guess, it worked like a charm, didn't it? You felt like you owed it to him and everyone else to keep working on a way around the spell, even though you knew it might end up killing you."

He smirked when Bonnie said nothing in return. "I didn't do a damn thing to harm Elena, she was taking a nap for the next 80 years or so. All he had to do was wait. If he really was as good a friend as you kept saying, he would have had no problem letting you live your life, guilt free. Because if anyone deserved it for all the shit you went through at the expense of your friends, it was you."

Bonnie blinked, every word he said was a blow to the carefully constructed wall that she had built to keep all her feelings about that particular period of time inside. The one thing she'd always hated about Kai was that he had the uncanny ability to zero in on her insecurities and use them to his advantage.

"Now look at you. Died again, and for what? For a bunch of people who had never really appreciated all the sacrifices you made for them." He was right in front of Bonnie now, "The last Bennett Witch of that line, gone." He leaned in closer, "Who's going to keep _your_ grave clean, Bonnie?"

As much as she hated what he was saying, he wasn't wrong. "Don't touch her." She heard Kai growl beside her, yanking her to stand behind him. His unstable half blinks as if coming out of a trance. He looked Kai up and down and snorted, "Is this is what you wanted? A powerless, human version of me?"

Both men were standing chest to chest, visually they were pretty much the same. But all you had to do was look at their eyes to see the difference. She had never been afraid of her Kai, even in the rare moments that they fought, Bonnie had no qualms about giving as good as she got. She never worried if he would snap and shove a knife in her gut, or go after someone that she loved.

"A human version that has never hurt her." Her Kai said pointedly. "But not really powerless." Before he even finished his sentence, he had brought up the knife that until now had been cloaked by Bonnie and stabbed him in the gut.

He staggered back a few steps and Bonnie tried to quickly finish the incantation for keeping Kai in place, but she had forgotten he was still a heretic, so his recovery time was faster than a normal human. He sent his human half flying back into the wall while charging at Bonnie.

Her back collided with the side of the ship as Kai shoved her against the wall, fury radiating from his eyes. "You think I'm gonna just let you kill me again?" He wrapped a hand around her throat, eerily reminiscent of that time in 1994, tight, but not strangling.

"You can't exist here, Kai. There's no magic to keep you alive." Bonnie tried to reason with him.

She winced as he squeezed her throat, "I can just do what you did, take over the body of the person that's already here." He leaned down to run his nose over her temple. "It seemed to work out great for you. You think anyone would notice?"

Bonnie's heart almost stopped at that, she had finally settled in to her new life, she was madly in love, and her life was finally on the right track. "I think everyone would notice, especially his family. Joshua, Jo, Luke, and Liv would definitely notice a change. Things are different here, Kai. Your dad isn't-"

"I DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT HIM!" He yelled in her ear.

"Okay what about Jo, then? Or Luke and Liv? Your relationship with them is so much better in this world, they will notice if you suddenly start acting like a madman!" Bonnie saw her Kai stumble to his feet and wanted to buy him a little more time. "Plus there's you and me. If we come back and are no longer together? That's gonna be a major red flag, considering everyone is probably anticipating me coming back with a ring."

For some reason, that gave him pause, "Like, marriage? You'd marry him?" Bonnie nodded the best she could with his hand still around her throat. "I would. I love him." She said simply. He searched her eyes, looking for untruths, and Bonnie didn't try to hide it. She let everything she felt for his double show on her face.

Which was apparently the wrong thing to do. Bonnie cried out as she felt the familiar sting of his siphoning. "You can love him, but wouldn't even try with me, even when I went above and beyond to try and save you?" He was so busy ranting and raving that he didn't register his double behind him until it was too late. Bonnie watched as his head was jerked to the left roughly.

His grip went slack and he crumpled into a heap at their feet. Bonnie took in big gulps of air greedily while Kai pulled her away to inspect her throat. She waved him off impatiently, "See, told you. Just a quick snap and down he'll go, but we need to hurry he won't be out for long." She turned to locate the candles that they had lifted from the dining room. Bonnie knew he'd just suck up any spell she could throw at him, her best bet was to just contain him until the ship passed beyond the borders of the vortex.

"I just snapped my own neck." She spun to find Kai looking down at himself, a dazed look on his face. Bonnie backtracked to his side, gripping his face in her hands. "I know this must seem crazy as hell to you right now, and I promise we'll talk about it later, but right now? I need your help to contain him. He won't be out long, and I don't know when we'll pass out of the triangle. I need you with me right now, Kai."

He shook his head as if to clear it before nodding, "Okay. Yeah, I'm here." Bonnie gave him a quick kiss before setting up the candles. She knew it was risky to call upon Expression rather than her own magic, but she needed something stronger and darker to contain the heretic. She looked to Kai as he readied the needles that they had taken from the med bay. Since she had no access to vervain, they would have to make do with regular sedatives to keep him knocked out. For a while she feared that it wouldn't work before the familiar feeling of euphoria washed over her.

"What the fuck?" She distantly heard Kai ask, knowing that the dark lines of magic were showing, but she didn't stop. When she had first attempted to petrify Silas, she had bound the spell to herself, not knowing that her death would undo it. This time she used the vortex itself, figuring it must be set on powerful ley lines.

"Is that supposed to happen?" She looked down to see parts of his body gradually turning to stone. She still refused to stop, she wanted him fully turned to stone so there would be no chance of him using his siphoning to undo it. She could tell immediately when he started to revive, because parts of him would start to ungrey and twitch. When that happened, she looked to Kai and he would inject his other self with the sedatives.

Bonnie isn't sure how long they were down there, but eventually Kai ran out of sedatives, she waved him off as he ran off to try and get more. She knew her nose had begun bleeding and her head was throbbing, but she didn't stop. When she could no longer hold the spell, she simply collapsed on top of his half petrified chest. He placed a heavy hand on her and she started to cry as he began to siphon her again.

It wasn't fair. She'd done everything she could to outsmart him, and she still couldn't escape death at his hands. Maybe it was always meant to be this way. Payback for what she had done to him. She stopped fighting and just laid there as she felt herself getting weaker. She was glad her Kai wouldn't be there to see her last moments.

Bonnie felt his warm and fully flesh hand stroke her cheek. "Bon…"She heard him weakly croak. Her head felt like it weighed a ton as she angled it to look at him. She watched in amazement as his neck opened up and began to bleed. "Oh my God." She whispered. They must be crossing out of the vortex.

Bonnie watched as the wound on his neck got bigger and bigger. Kai's eyes widened as he realized what was happening. He struggled to talk, "I…."

Bonnie knew she could have dismissed whatever he was trying to say, but she found she really did want to make peace with this part of her past. She struggled to lift herself so she could speak, but Kai obviously thought she was trying to leave, and held on tighter. She ended up lying mostly beside him, their faces turned to each other. She reached out to place a shaky hand on his cheek, "Thank you for my birthday. I'm sorry I never got the chance to say it before now."

"…sorry.." Simply saying the word seemed to take a lot of effort. Bonnie smiled sadly, "I know." She stroked his cheek, "Please be at peace now. Maybe you'll find what I did." She gave a watery laugh. "We could have been great, but we had so much stacked against us, and both of us were prideful idiots. Don't make that same mistake again, Malachai." He gave her a half smile that reminds her so much of her Kai, and Bonnie can't help herself. She leans over and places a gentle kiss on his lips. She stays close after the kiss ends and feels him take his last breath.

* * *

When she wakes up, she is bundled in bed with Kai hovering nearby. "Thank God." He mutters as he smothers her in hugs and kisses. "When I came back, I thought you were dead. You weren't moving and his head was…" He shuddered. "I know you told me what would happen, but actually seeing my own head not attached to my body was not how I thought this cruise would go."

"So he's gone?" Bonnie asked. Kai nodded. "His body and head both went up in flames. Nothing left, not even ashes." Bonnie nods, she hopes he's at peace. Or at least getting another chance like she did. She pulls Kai down to lay next to her and they fall asleep curled around each other.

* * *

Bonnie watches out the corner of her eye as Caroline whispers to Rebekah. She's kicked back at Matt and Tyler's place for movie night. She knows that since she and Kai came back from the cruise they've been clingier than usual, and Kai has been unusually attentive to her.

Bonnie can attribute that to Kai realizing just how insane her life had been prior to ending up in this world. Bonnie was able to brush off what happened after a few days, but she knows Kai is still reeling from the events. She knew he was talking quite a bit to Mason, but she had also reached out to Vincent in order for him to have another person to talk to. It seems to have done the trick, today was the first day in a while that they spent apart.

"Well, well, well. Look who finally detached from my brother." Liv dropped down next to Bonnie. Apparently that was all the opening Caroline needed.

"Are you pregnant?" She asked bluntly. Rebekah smacked her arm, "You were supposed to ease into it! Not blurt it out like you've got bloody Tourette's!"

Bonnie choked on her popcorn, "No! What the hell?" She took the bottle water that Matt handed her. "Why would you ask that?" She demanded once she could breathe again.

"Well then, did he pop the question?" Rebekah asked.

Bonnie shook her head, biting back a smile "No." Technically it was true. Her Kai hadn't asked her, his double had, and she'd answered in the affirmative.

"Lie." Matt called out. Bonnie swiveled her head, hands making the universal 'WTF' gesture.

"You did the lip biting thing, that's a tell, Bon." He shrugged. All eyes went back to Bonnie.

"There was no proposal!" She protested. Caroline was studying her face, "But there was something? Something did happen, right?"

"I…" Bonnie shrugged. "I realized that I would. Marry him, that is. If he asks, I would definitely say yes." Caroline's lip started trembling and she saw Rebekah tear up. "But he hasn't asked, and none of you better say a damn word! Besides we still need to get through Nik and Caroline's trip down the aisle."

That did the trick, Caroline immediately started bitching to Rebekah about how Esther was trying to take over. Matt and Tyler gave her a discreet thumbs up for taking the spotlight off herself.

Later when it was just her and Liv in the kitchen, the caustic blond was unusually silent. Bonnie was telling her how her Grams had been removed as co-chair of that years garden party because she called one of the other ladies a thot.

'I mean, who even told her what that meant!" Bonnie rolls her eyes.

"Did you mean it?" Liv asked.

"What?" Bonnie was still thinking of her grandmother.

"Did you mean it when you said you would marry my brother?" Bonnie couldn't help the smile that spread across her face, "yeah I meant it. I wouldn't joke about something like that, Liv."

Bonnie stood in amazement as Liv grinned ear to ear and held up her phone. Bonnie hadn't even noticed she had it out. "Olivia, if that's your brother on the phone, I swear I will cut off all your hair." Bonnie hissed.

"Does it matter which brother?" Bonnie breathed a sigh of relief once she heard the voice on the phone speak. "Hey, Luke."

"I'm here, too!" Bonnie couldn't help but laugh, "Hey, Jo." Bonnie raised her eyebrows, "anyone else, a second cousin twice removed?"

"Well I don't know about any second cousins, they're all still in Portland." As illogical as it was, Bonnie looked around to see if Joshua Parker was actually in the room.

"I take it back, you're all crazy."

* * *

 _Elsewhere….._

Kai sat slouched in his seat. This was bullshit, and he was under no impression that he would get anything useful out of this therapy session, but he would hold up his end of the deal in exchange for no jail time.

He watched as people filed in one by one. He tended to get there early to see if there were any new people, and see if he could guess why they were there. Today seemed like a crap shoot, same individuals as the day before, until…...

Kai sat up in disbelief as the last person drifted in the room with her head down, hair covering her face. She wasn't looking at him, but he would know her profile and figure anywhere. She sat down and kept her head bowed, not meeting anyone's eyes.

"Everyone, please say hello to our newest patient, Bonnie Hopkins. Bonnie, would you like to say hello to the group, and explain why you're here?" The group facilitator coached. Kai leaned in closer to listen if she would sound the same.

Finally she looked up, face brightening in recognition, and Kai sucked in a breath. Green eyes bored into his and he felt himself release the breath he was holding. There was no anger, no recrimination, no hidden animosity in this Bonnie.

"Hi, I'm Bonnie." She gave a half hearted wave to the group at large, "I'm here because my family, my father mostly, believe that I suffer from delusions." She shrugged then crossed her arms, eyes blazing suddenly. "I don't care what they say, I know what the truth is." Kai felt the beginnings of a smile start across his face. This one had fire, he could work with that.

"And what truth is that, Bonnie?" The facilitator asked gently.

"That this isn't my life." Kai's eyes widened in surprise, "I was in a car accident, and when I woke up, I was in a whole different world." Kai was sure other things were said, but he didn't hear any of it, a plan was forming in his mind.

Kai disappeared immediately following the group discussion, his plan to force Bonnie to come to him worked faster than even he anticipated. While he was walking out to the gardens, he was halted by a hand on his arm. "Kai?" The voice was questioning and tentative, but he would know it anywhere.

He turned to face the girl with so much hope in her green eyes, "Hey Bonster." His assumption was met with a big grin and he soon he found his arms full as Bonnie threw herself at him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Yeah, this was definitely a different Bonnie. He thought of what his Bonnie said as he slowly felt himself succumbing to the lack of magic in her new world " _maybe you'll find what I did."_

He eased his arms around her waist, maybe this was where he was meant to be all along.


	4. Sidewalks & Skeletons

**A/N: StudioEden was kind enough to write Bon Voyage from Kai's POV. This is all her doing, so please feel free to drop by and show her some love for her fics, especially The Reset and The Gamble!**

* * *

Kai had already gotten the memo from Rudy earlier that day about a cruise. It was to make up for the trip to New Orleans that got canceled a while back. Fucking Cabo. He was so glad he hadn't been able to go on that trip. Or had even been extended an invitation. He would have broken bones. Namely Damon's, but who would have tried to stop him? Nobody, that's who.

Promising to keep it a secret from Bonnie, he went about his normal day at work. They were swamped at Vera's, but he knew it was typical. Whenever he was getting ready to take some time off, it was like the universe knew and wanted to toy with him. Well the universe would just have to deal with his chicken scratch as he finished off the last of the paperwork, notifying _his_ sous chef that he needed to prepare to hold down the fort. His father was taking a well-needed break and he wasn't allowed to call him, even if the kitchen was on fire.

When he finally got off work and arrived home, Bonnie was all smiles and beaming like the golden rays of sunlight.

"Oh and look, it's got its own balcony!" Bonnie was all but throwing brochures at him and Kai set his bag down with a chuckle.

"Hi, honey. How was your day?" Kai asked, teasing her with his absolute _worst_ fifties housewife voice. "It was swell, darling, I love how you greet me at the door with my slippers and a drink in hand." He dropped the bass, receiving a swift elbow to his ribs and he laughed, gathering her up in his arms.

"Yeah, I got your slippers, Parker. But duly noted." Kai saw that heart-shaped face as it scrunched up for a kiss. He laughed, pressing his lips to hers. The trail of kisses lingered near his ear and Kai was already reprimanding his lower half to behave. "Hey baby, how was your day?"

Another laugh as he leaned down to place kisses along her neck. "Better now."

And it was better. He would never get tired of her smell, the warmth of her body as it all but blanketed him from head to toe. Kai was ready to give all of himself to this woman, this little firecracker, and he didn't care about it one way or the other. This beautiful, mocha-skinned delight was his and no one else's.

After a few more lingering moments of enjoying each other's warmth, he sighed while pressing an open-mouthed kiss to the juncture of her neck. It was time to play dumb. "What were you saying about a cruise?"

He distracted her, punished her by not giving him the proper greeting he felt he deserved when coming home after slaving over a hot stove. His hands smoothed up her skin, under her shirt, and he relished in the way her body quivered and inflamed under his palms.

Her willpower was commendable.

After swooping her up into his arms, he plopped her onto the couch and laughed as they looked at all the pictures and picked out where they wanted to go on what stops. Bonnie made a few calls and Kai had to resist smiling when she heard the shock in her tone at Nik stating Finn was offering up their loft in New York. Kai wouldn't tell Bonnie that he'd already filled in Nik on some of the details and that everything would be squared away. This was the trip that Bonnie had missed out on - the trip that she had deserved.

Nah, he'd keep that little nugget to himself and buy a round of drinks for the Mikaelsons at a later date.

* * *

Liv and Luke suggested that he pack half the planet on the trip. His father grunted about being practical. Sheila made him promise not to let Bonnie send her any pictures of flowers while they were on the boat or at any pit stops on the cruise. Everyone was so demanding and Kai just shook his head in disbelief at all of them.

Bonnie fussed over his packing and he told her that rolling her shirts made more sense. No wrinkles that way. He'd gone back and forth on a plane, throwing shit into a duffel bag enough to know what made sense travel-wise. She relented and Kai let her fuss over his toiletries.

After watching her flop about the bed like a schoolgirl, Kai just smiled as he set their bags down in the corner of the room. "Is that gonna be something that you do every time we stay at a new place?"

"Maybe." She star fished out on the bed before spotting their balcony, Kai following her gaze. "Take a picture, I want to send it to my dad and let him know we got on the ship."

Pictures were taken and mini adventures were had. Kai let Bonnie drag him around but only on the offshoot that he got to do the same. They explored the various areas, his surprise truly hitting when nothing had to come out of pocket for anything they did. Rudy really had gone all out and spared no expense for this vacation. A knot formed in his chest, thinking back onto the conversation that he had with Rudy before he came to Vera's with Bonnie in tow that one night.

"I think I love your dad, Bon."

Kai had a little bit of pull, more than Bonnie probably realized. But he didn't want to flex unnecessarily. The option to go to one of the fancier restaurants had Kai rushing to get dressed, but he was patient when it came to Bonnie and her getting ready. He would wait on her for a lifetime if he had to.

The menu was spectacular. Kai mentally filed away things that he wanted to try when he got back, yammering on excitedly to Bonnie about the decadent flavors that she knew she was enjoying from her expressions. Passing along his business card, he got the okay from the chef to come back into the kitchen during prep time while they were on the cruise. A bottle of champagne was thrown in with the whole lot of it and the two of them went back to their room, practically beaming like it was Christmas morning.

Full. He was so full and stupidly happy that he almost stumbled into the room had Bonnie not caught him by the arm. They shared a languid laugh. "I love this place, I'm never leaving."

He paused, watching as Bonnie hummed and slowly began removing her dress and makeup. That familiar knot tugged at his chest, accompanied with a warmth that spread throughout his entire body. It definitely wasn't the alcohol.

"I love you, you know," he said, watching as her eyes looked back at him from the mirror's reflection.

"Yeah, I know. I love you too."

Kai tried to undress, but he was too full and too happy and too complete. The world faded into nothing and it was his own form of nirvana. He couldn't escape it, even if he'd wanted to.

He'd make it up to her in the morning.

And he did.

* * *

Kai woke before Bonnie. He always did.

Taking a moment to card his fingers through her hair, Kai inhaled deeply - filling his lungs with her scent. He'd never get tired of it. Tired of her. Of waking up to her body molded into his, like jigsaw puzzles lost from the picture but finding each other in the corner of a child's playroom. Forgotten by all except each other.

A perfect match.

His lips caressed her jaw, his arm snaking around and dipping over her bare stomach - his hand gliding between her legs and relishing in the warmth of her folds.

She stirred in his arms. "Mmm, well someone is up early this morning."

Her voice was thick with sleep, deep and rumbly and it made him ache for her all the more. Wriggling down, his movements urged her to spread her legs so he could have his morning meal. There was no need to hurry. There were no obligations. Pleasing her was all he had to focus on and he took his sweet time doing so - grunting with want as she keened against his mouth. He drank all of her, wanting to suck the soul right out of her.

Kai never tired of her mewling.

Bonnie's voice was soft, hot pants leaving her lips as her thighs quivered against his shoulders. But he wasn't finished. Far from it. Hands grasped at her hips, thumbs dipping into her skin as he pulled to the left - silently urging her to turn over. His chest fell on her back, hands gripping her wrists, and it wasn't until she was reaching for everything that he pulled back to position himself behind her. Nails raked up her sweat-tinged spine, his hips moving forward and sliding into her in a single motion. He saw stars, blinking them back as he let everything wash over her - their motions slow, almost timeless.

He wanted this - _all of her_ \- forever.

The days passed on and they spent it together like any couple on a retreat - hidden away from the world. Being with Bonnie was already a blessing he probably didn't deserve, but taking away the responsibilities just made it that much better. No worries. No lingering stress from work and social obligations. Just the two of them in the middle of the ocean and away from everything.

They had filled up on booze and food, music and dancing. Laughter and love. The two of them were feeling a euphoria they couldn't ignore and he made love to her all over again before they fell into a blissful sleep.

At some point, Kai stirred in his sleep - torn between remaining unconscious and rousing. It felt like his throat was closing up. He didn't think it was the confined space. Maybe it was dehydration. Either way, he disentangled himself from Bonnie, hoping a bottle of water and a cold splash to the face would chase it away.

Draining half the bottle, Kai entered the bathroom and turned on the faucet. He set the bottle down on the counter, dipping his hands under the cold jets and splashed his face several times. Kai ran wet fingers through his hair and looked at his reflection. But what was staring back at him wasn't his face. Or was it?

The eyes looking back at him were cold and filled with a darker purpose. The motions mirrored his as he slowly drew up to his full height. Water dripped from around his face and down his chin - the soft shadow of stubble all his. Kai lifted a face to his chin and his reflection mimicked him.

Eyeing the time, Kai laughed quietly while shaking his head as he removed his toothbrush from the cup. He knew he was a few cards short a full deck, but that was him. That wasn't anyone _but_ him.

But something didn't feel right.

As he brushed his teeth, his eyes lingered back to the mirror. For a moment, all Kai could do was stare. He waited for something to happen. Expected it.

And then it did.

His reflection winked.

Kai's guts hit the floor as he bolted out of the bathroom.

He was at Bonnie's side, shaking her awake and she looked for all the world like she was fighting being woken up. "Hey, I don't know if I drank too much last night, or if I was slipped something, but I swear my reflection just winked at me."

"What?" Bonnie looked around, bleary eyed and beautiful but he was too rattled to appreciate it. "Are you sure you weren't still sleeping?"

Kai rolled his eyes and gave an aggravated sigh. "No, Bonnie. I'm sure I was awake." He wished he'd been asleep. That would have made more sense.

She clambered out of bed. "Fine, let's go over what you were doing-Ah!" Bonnie yelped and Kai felt his shoulders jump. "Something shocked me."

Taking her hand in his, he massaged her knuckles between his thumbs. "Yeah they said that would happen, something about static charge and blah, blah, blah." Kai pulled her along, heading toward the bathroom. "I was standing here brushing my teeth and I looked up, and I swear I saw a reflection of myself, but it wasn't me."

He watched Bonnie looking at the mirror, studying it for a moment. He hoped she didn't think he was hallucinating. He hadn't done that in some years. Bonnie looked back at him speculatively. "You sure you weren't still dreaming? You did think you were being chased by a giant snake a few weeks ago."

That was true. Maybe she was right. Maybe he was too caught up in the feeling and got overwhelmed subconsciously. He'd been taking his meds regularly and hadn't had an episode in well over a year.

His shoulders sagged a little. "Maybe I was still asleep." Kai muttered it more to himself than her, but she led him back to the bed.

"Why were you up so early anyways?"

He didn't want to worry her over his mild sleeping fit. Kai yawned, not even trying to stifle it. "I wanted to surprise you with breakfast in bed."

Feeling his weight getting pushed back into the bed, he smiled sleepily up at her. "I'll get it, you just lay here. Get some more sleep."

He did feel tired all of a sudden. Maybe it was him coming down from an adrenaline high, but his eyelids felt heavy. Feeling the pillow fluffed and the blanket falling over his form, Kai's vision grew dark and he faded out - Bonnie's voice the last thing lingering in his thoughts.

He'd never been more thankful for Bonnie being absent in the room.

After spending thirty minutes resting his mind, Kai woke up feeling a bit more refreshed. But there was trepidation in his motions as he entered the bathroom a second time that morning. Glaring at his reflection, Kai poked and prodded and needled at the mirror - waiting for a change to happen. Ten minutes passed and there was nothing. Just him looking like a fucking idiot as he waited for the "boogie man" to pop out and yell "boo" like some cheesy episode on Tales From The Crypt.

"Goddamn," he muttered while roughly scratching his head, "get a fucking grip, Malachai Parker."

Finishing up the rest of his business, Kai was toweling his face as he left the bathroom when Bonnie came running through the door like she'd stolen something. He quipped a brow at her, his eyes immediately going to her arms to see if she had, in fact, stolen something. Noting the plates, he grinned. It was just breakfast.

"Hey, did you get something good?" Kai watched her swiftly set the plates down, grabbed his arm and all but dragged him onto the balcony.

"Mal, come out on the balcony, I think I saw some whales."

He slowly raised a brow at her. _Mal?_ He couldn't help the thought. _Since when?_ And he took note of how loud her voice had gotten, like she was trying to throw someone off. Well, it certainly wasn't him.

Once fully out on the balcony, Kai watched her pull the sliding glass door shut - the ocean and wind the only sound blanketing around them. Something was going on and he patiently awaited her explanation.

She didn't twiddle her thumbs about it. "I think you were right about your reflection winking at you. When I was getting dressed, I heard a whistle and I thought it was you, but you'd already gone back to sleep."

A heavy weight left his chest. So he wasn't having a relapse. Well thank his lucky stars. "So what the hell is going on then?"

Bonnie quickly explained to him her assessment of the situation. It wasn't farfetched and it wasn't like he didn't believe her. As long as signs didn't point to him being a bit of a nutjob, then the idea of his magical twin trying to pull through the veil was the better option in his opinion.

He took a moment, brows furrowing in thought as his hand gripped onto the towel draped across his neck. "So you're telling me that you think because of your death releasing him from his prison, he's out here just fucking with people?"

"Yeah, pretty much. Not just fucking with people, though. Trying to cross over. And I'm thinking that since he saw you-"

Kai felt the color drain from his face. "He thinks he may have a chance to cross over through me?" That was ludicrous.

A lump formed in his throat at Bonnie's shrug. How could she just shrug about it?! "I mean, that's how I crossed over. I took the place of my other self. But we have the advantage because I don't think he knows who I am. He might think this is just another world that just happens to have you and me together in it."

Count his lucky stars indeed. "Okay, so what now?" It was taking everything he had in him not to glance toward the mirror from the open door of the bathroom. "Should we just go on about our business and ignore him?"

He wanted the answer to be yes. Kai wanted this to be some bad dream that he was going to wake up from. He'd take Hell's Kitchen over this bullshit.

Bonnie's frown instantly dashed his wishes. "No, I don't think that will work anymore. I've always said he was smart and more versed in magic than I am. He might have already thought of hijacking your body in order to leave."

Kai felt his face frown up in outrage. "Can he do that?"

"I did…of course my other self was halfway-" Her voice suddenly trailed off. She must have seen the look on his face. "Doesn't matter, I won't let him." The wind settled into his stomach as Bonnie reassured him with not only her words, but her arms around him. Her breath was warm and comforting on his skin and he couldn't help but wrap her up against him even tighter. "I had to die to find you, I'll be damned if he's gonna take you from me."

What nerves were rattling in him instantly settled. Kai loved this woman so much, it almost hurt to look at her. But look at her he did and the two of them stayed that way, appearing lost in love and leisure. Yet the truth existed between them. They had to find a way to snuff this guy out. To find out if he was just a lingering ghost story or a real threat.

As they played it off like things were normal, Kai opted that they stay on the ship. Bonnie didn't need to question it since that was the smartest strategy. With everyone going ashore to do things in the touristy areas of the stop, Kai and Bonnie wouldn't have to worry about prying eyes or ears getting in the middle of what they were trying to do.

"We'll have the whole ship to ourselves," Kai said as they entered back into the room.

"Mostly." Nipping at the finger that Bonnie pointed at him, he grabbed her up and pushed her onto the bed - nuzzling his face into the crook of her neck to lavish his affections across her skin.

" _Oh give me a break."_

Eyes growing wide in tandem, Kai froze momentarily. But Bonnie's fingers on his arms gave him the reassurance he needed to keep going. Her breath, her scent, her touch was all that he needed to bring him down from that heightened state of anxiety that was creeping around the corners of his eyes. Bonnie would give him the signal, so he just took comfort in feeling her heartbeat against his palm as he glided a hand over her chest.

Suddenly, Kai felt Bonnie pushing all of her weight against him, the highest pitch in her voice he'd ever heard as she cried, "Oh my God. Mal!"

Lifting his head up, he whipped it around to follow where he knew her line of sight was aimed. "Is this some kind of joke?"

His "twin" rolled his eyes, the condescension clear in his gaze. "Did she screw your brains out? Of course this isn't a joke!" His other self glanced past him, like he were something insignificant, and continued. "Is he always this dumb?"

Anger flared in Kai's chest. "Hey!" Wow, this guy was a real piece of shit. "I'm not dumb!"

"He's not dumb!" They had said it in unison.

"You're not dumb, baby." He smiled when Bonnie ran a hand up and down his arm.

" _Baby_?" Their attention was brought back to his double as he laughed in disbelief. "Are you seriously using pet names right now?"

Bonnie tugged on Kai's arm, bringing him out of his haze of anger. "Let's just leave Mal, he's stuck in the mirror. He can't follow us, right?"

Kai nodded, but he almost wasn't so sure. Something in the way his double looked at him, that malicious glee that twinkled in his gray-blue eyes… He was definitely a horse of a different color and Kai didn't know how to feel about it.

"Mal?" The man tilted his head, as if in thought, "I suppose it has a nice sort of symmetry to it. Bon and Mal. But to answer your question, _baby_ ," He sneered the last word and it sent a shock of cold to sliver up Kai's spine, "I most certainly can follow you."

It was like The Ring. Goddamn, why were Asians so good at scaring the fuck out of people? The air left his lungs as his double stepped through the mirror, a shit-eating grin plastered all over his features and showing just how _real_ he actually was. This wasn't a joke. This wasn't a nightmare.

Reality was a bitch.

"I've been waiting a long time to get my chance at escaping. Thanks to you, Mal, I finally have a shot."

It was his face, but the smugness on it was so foreign and Kai had an overwhelming desire to knock his teeth in.

"Like hell you do, asshole."

Bonnie's voice brought him back out of his mild stupor and Kai watched as his double went flying across the room. He didn't have time to process it. All he could do was stare in awe at Bonnie as she pulled him up and out the room - their legs eating up the ground as they put as much distance as they could between them and the Kai from her world. Bonnie's voice was back to normal.

"What the hell was that?" Kai asked as they ran along the deck, ignoring the few onlookers who had remained on the ship.

"Oh yeah, my magic is back." Bonnie said breathlessly.

She said it so easily, and yet he wasn't any less impressed. He had never doubted it, but to see it before his eyes? Kai's chest filled with pride.

His girlfriend was a badass.

* * *

When they finally were able to get enough distance between them and his psychotic double, Kai swallowed mouthfuls of air to reclaim his breath. Grabbing Bonnie, he threw open the door of a supply closet and shut the door - closing them in the space. He'd wanted to do something scandalous with Bonnie when he'd first stumbled across this thing, but he didn't think said scandal would be their current situation.

This was nuts.

"Your magic is back?" he heaved, staring at her within the darkness of the enclosure.

" _Et erit lux."_

Kai watched as the darkness was flooded with small light, a glowing ball of magic hovering above Bonnie's hand. He felt like a kid who had witnessed a Three Card Monte trick for the first time, wondering how the illusionist was able to make the card disappear. But that was all just sleight of hand. This was real. It was _real_ and his girlfriend was a witch.

"Wow…"

It was all he could say. Part of him wanted to touch it, but he refrained. He could feel the heat from the spell and he wasn't even that close to it.

Bonnie quickly extinguished the light, causing a slight pout to form on his lips. He had wanted to look at it a bit longer. But there was a distinct warmth that touched his cheek, causing him to shrink back in surprise. When he realized it was just Bonnie and the lingering magic that clung to her, he leaned into her touch - remaining mesmerized at the tingling sensation on his skin.

"It's still warm!"

"As nice as it is to introduce you to my magic, we still have other more important things to discuss." Bonnie withdrew her hand and he felt himself wishing she hadn't. Her magic was comforting. It felt...safe. "So we've effectively pissed him off enough to make him fully corporeal, that's good. I wanted to see if he could do it, so now we've gotta keep him that way until we pass out of the triangle."

Quipping a brow, he pressed his back to the wall. "Why is that?"

"There's no magic in this world, remember? He can't exist here."

"So we manage to subdue him somehow and when we pass through the triangle, he dies again?"

He didn't know why, but her readiness to end his other self was a little...unsettling. How could it not be?

Kai frowned as he folded his arms across his chest. "Exactly how many times are you going to kill this guy, Bonnie?"

"As many times as it takes for him to stay dead!" The words were harsh, venomous, and he couldn't hide the shock from his face if he'd wanted to. It must have registered to her because Bonnie quickly continued. "Look, I get it. You've never seen this side of me, and you look at him and see you. If you can't do this, then we'll find a way to get you off the boat until I have him locked up somewhere."

Well, that was just plain crazy talk. "I'm not leaving you alone with him!"

"No, I think it's for the best actually. If you're not on the ship, he can't get to you and switch," Bonnie muttered to herself. She looked like she was going to a faraway place. Somewhere where he couldn't reach her. "Just gotta find way to hold him."

"Hey." Kai grabbed her shoulders, giving them a firm squeeze, "just because I'm having second thoughts does not mean I'm going to leave you alone with him."

He repeated it firmly with conviction. Regardless of the bad blood between them, he wasn't about to let her walk headlong into danger. Not while he was there to have her back. Kai wanted to believe he could that for her, at least.

"We can't stay in here," she said, looking back at him. "We're cornered and I don't like being in closed spaces when he's on the hunt."

 _...on the hunt._

The thought seemed to echo inside of him. Kai couldn't believe that Bonnie, his wild and spirited Bonnie, was shaken up even for a second over his double. Had she told him everything he'd done, his other self? Just what kind of madness had he tried to plant inside of her for her to react this way? Like she had to prepare to wage war against the world?

Was _he_ capable of the same?

They left the closet, not wanting to linger in one spot for too long. Plus the atmosphere in that small space was becoming a little overwhelming. Kai listened, both to Bonnie and to the sounds around them. He'd never had to be on such high alert before, but he also never had to face off against someone with magical abilities. He wasn't sure how much use he was going to be in the actual fight, but Kai at least didn't want his other half to get the jump on them either.

If it was one thing Kai knew well, it was stubbornness. And his other self seemed chalk full of it.

Quickly making their way to the med-bay, at Bonnie's suggestion, they gathered up everything they would need to be able to put the other Kai under. It was enough sedatives to knock out a grown man and then some.

The plan was clear. They just had to get him to be still long enough to knock him down and then keep him there. Down. On the ground. With no means of defending himself.

It turned Kai's stomach slightly.

They managed to get below deck without too many wandering eyes following suit. Kai's heart thudded heavily against his chest. But the metal clang of the door slamming shut behind them made his heart stop altogether. Kai whipped around, his hand still gripping Bonnie's tightly as he saw _him_ on the approach.

"Well I admit, I did not see that coming. I know how I ended up here, but how are you here?" His "twin" looked at Bonnie, then at him. Something seemed to have clicked because he frowned for half a second before it transformed into a smirk.

"Hold up..." he snapped his fingers, then laughed, "don't tell me, you wound up dying… _again_!" His laughter increased, his eyes tight with how amused he was.

God, did he look like that? Did his laugh sound _anything_ like that? Kai frowned.

"After all your tough talk, you still wound up croaking for those worthless assholes." He slow clapped and it was clearly in condescension. "Wow. Congratulations. You've managed to impress me with your idiotic selflessness once again."

This guy was a real piece of work. He could see it now. But Kai couldn't help but wonder what made his other self so bitter. Was he capable of the same level of maliciousness?

The other Kai's gaze leveled onto him and the coldness there was unmistakable. He clenched his jaw, the muscle jumping near his mandibles. "So let me get this straight. You never wanted to give me the time of day, but somehow you ended up with my double? Is this another hell? What kind of bullshit is that, Bonster?"

"Yeah well, this one never murdered half his family, or killed a whole coven so, I'm partial to that." Bonnie shrugged and Kai looked at her, hearing the barbs on the edge of her words.

"That's rich," he rolled his eyes, bringing Kai back to the present "coming from the girl who was friends with Stefan 'Ripper of Monterey' Salvatore. Not to mention Damon 'I killed my uncle's pregnant wife for the hell of it' Salvatore."

"What the fuck?" Kai whispered, blinking in amazement.

Was that the kind of world that she came from? A world where Stefan and Damon were both killers? Bonnie would never have surrounded herself with such garbage. Not the Bonnie he knew. Not the Bonnie he loved. She was the kind of woman who would never let anyone trample over her, no matter who they were or what she owed them.

But Bonnie didn't say anything. She didn't deny and so his double continued.

"Or how about Elena 'I'll kill an original vampire, thus ending his whole sire line just to get the cure because I can't handle being a vampire' Gilbert?" The amusement was gone from the other Kai's voice and he started moving toward them. "You managed to forgive all of them for their transgressions, but when I actually tried to make amends with you, you stabbed me and stuck me in another damn prison world."

"Yeah, because nothing says I'm sorry like creeping into my bed while I'm asleep and siphoning me, right? Or how about knocking me out and taking my blood to let Lily and her pets out to terrorize everyone?"

Kai heard Bonnie's voice quiver and he couldn't help thinking just how long she'd been holding this in. Was this everything she'd been keeping back? Everything made sense - her distance, her cold demeanor toward him. It made even _more sense_ now than it did over a year ago when she'd come out of her coma. His grip on Bonnie's hand tightened, reassuring her that he wasn't going to let anything happen.

"Or the best apology of all, when you damn near killed me at the wedding!"

"I wasn't going to kill you. I just wanted you to finally see!" he yelled back, causing Kai's neck muscles to tense up.

"See what? How unhinged you really were? Because believe me, I knew. You tied my life to Elena's and demanded Damon choose between the two of us. I'm glad he took your head off." The taunt was cruel, but it did the job. His double didn't seem pleased - he didn't miss that flicker of anger in the eyes that mirrored his.

He laughed again, shaking his head at her. "You wanna know the real reason Damon took my head off, Bonster? It wasn't just because he wanted to save you. He knew that if he saved you, you would feel indebted to him because he 'saved your life'." The other Kai air-quoted and Jesus, even their mannerisms were similar. This was too much. Kai couldn't help but look at Bonnie, seeing the anger popping in her green eyes. "And let me guess, it worked like a charm, didn't it? You felt like you owed it to him and everyone else to keep working on a way around the spell, even though you knew it might end up killing you."

Kai looked back at his double, noting the triumphant smirk on his face. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. There was no way that was true. But Bonnie's silence spoke volumes and his heart fell just a measure.

"I didn't do a damn thing to harm Elena. She was taking a nap for the next 80 years or so. All he had to do was wait. If he really was as good a friend as you kept saying, he would have had no problem letting you live your life, guilt free. Because if anyone deserved it for all the shit you went through at the expense of your friends, it was you."

He didn't have to look at Bonnie to know that his "twin" was having an effect on her. This was what she had been holding back. This was what she had been keeping so close to her heart and refusing to let anyone see. This ugly truth, it hurt her. But it was a truth that Kai couldn't even spit in outrage over. Because if what his double said was true, and that seemed to be the case, then that meant that Bonnie hadn't been much different than the Bonnie from his world. They hadn't relied on anyone - wanting to shoulder everything by themselves.

And the end result? Both of them had died with no one around them. Both of them had been alone - _feeling_ alone.

But it was different now. She wasn't alone.

"Now look at you. Died again, and for what? For a bunch of people who had never really appreciated all the sacrifices you made for them." He was directly in front of her now and he could tell she was shrinking back. "The last Bennett Witch of that line, gone." He leaned in closer, his intent clear even to him. "Who's going to keep _your_ grave clean, Bonnie?"

"Don't touch her," he growled, finally finding his voice. Not wanting to hear any arguments, Kai pulled Bonnie behind him - forcing himself to be the divide between the two magic users.

His other self looked at him like he was seeing him for the first time and registering it. "Is this is what you wanted? A powerless, human version of me?"

For the first time since he'd met him, Kai felt sorry for his double. What kind of world had _he_ been brought up in for him to think that being a human meant being powerless? Kai had never felt like that in his entire life, not even when he was fighting against his own mental illness.

Yeah, he was definitely scheduling an appointment with his therapist the minute they got back.

"A human version that has never hurt her." Kai said it pointedly, the chill radiating from the other Kai evident but unaffecting him, "but not really powerless."

And as they'd planned, Kai drove the knife he'd had in his hand the entire time straight into his double's gut. Bonnie had explained she was going to hide it with magic and seeing as how he'd failed to see it that whole time, it must have worked. He just needed to get him close enough.

Kai watched him stagger back a few steps and Bonnie started chanting. But something seemed to be amiss as his other self was already righting himself and ready to charge. A force that Kai couldn't see slammed into him, throwing his body up and off to the side. His back crashed into the metal of the wall, effectively knocking the wind out of him. Heaving what air remained in his lungs, Kai blinked the stars from his vision long enough to see his other self going for Bonnie's throat as he slammed her into the wall.

"You think I'm gonna just let you kill me again?"

"You can't exist here, Kai. There's no magic to keep you alive." Bonnie was trying to reason with him, but even Kai knew that it wouldn't work.

Kai tried to get off the ground as he saw her wince, probably from having her throat squeezed further. "I can just do what you did, take over the body of the person that's already here." He leaned down and anger exploded in Kai's chest. "It seemed to work out great for you. You think anyone would notice?"

"I think everyone would notice, especially his family. Joshua, Jo, Luke, and Liv would definitely notice a change. Things are different here, Kai. Your dad isn't-"

"I DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT HIM!"

Kai struggled to sit up, checking to make sure nothing was broken. _That's it, Bon. Keep him distracted._

"Okay what about Jo, then? Or Luke and Liv? Your relationship with them is so much better in this world, they will notice if you suddenly start acting like a madman!" Kai finally managed to get to his feet, stabilizing himself on the wall as he caught another breath. He would only have one chance. Bonnie seemed to notice this, her gaze meeting his and they gave each other a knowing look. "Plus there's you and me. If we come back and are no longer together? That's gonna be a major red flag, considering everyone is probably anticipating me coming back with a ring."

Kai's legs froze. Wait. Who told her? He hadn't said a word!

"Like, marriage? You'd marry him?"

The steps that he'd been taking stopped. Kai felt like a deer in headlights as he watched Bonnie nodding despite the hold his other self had on her neck.

"I would. I love him."

His insides felt like jello. Was she already saying yes to a proposal he hadn't given yet? Well, that certainly took the fun out of it.

 _Not now, Kai!_ he yelled in his head, shuffling quietly forward.

Bonnie cried out and he saw a red glow coming from his double's hands.

"You can love him, but wouldn't even try with me, even when I went above and beyond to try and save you?"

Kai was directly behind him now, his other self so lost in his own outrage that he couldn't sense him. He didn't waste any time, grasping the sides of his head and twisting his head hard to the right. The _snap_ was like a whip crack in the space they were in. Kai could only watch as he saw his own body crumple to the ground.

Pulling Bonnie toward him, he fussily looked over her throat for any damage and she waved him off. "See, told you. Just a quick snap and down he'll go, but we need to hurry he won't be out for long."

Kai let Bonnie out of his grasp and he looked down at where the other Kai was. He looked like he was sleeping, but he knew what he'd done. Had he been another normal human being, that would have been a dead body at his feet.

He'd effectively killed himself.

"I just snapped my own neck."

Bonnie's hands were on his face, forcing the body from his line of sight and he was now looking back into those beautiful shades of green that always seemed to keep him grounded. Unconsciously, he reached up and held her wrists.

"I know this must seem crazy as hell to you right now, and I promise we'll talk about it later, but right now? I need your help to contain him. He won't be out long, and I don't know when we'll pass out of the triangle. I need you with me right now, Kai."

Shaking his head, he gave a reassuring nod. She was right. This wasn't the time. They had to take care of the problem at hand.

"Okay. Yeah, I'm here."

The kiss was all he needed to get his head back into the game. Bonnie quickly started setting up the candles for her ritual and Kai started preparing the sedatives needed to keep his other self under. He didn't know what was going to happen and he didn't know what kind of magic Bonnie was about to call on, but he'd be ready just the same.

As she continued chanting, pulling what he could assume was power from a source, Kai watched in awe. Suddenly, black lines started creeping along her skin and he couldn't help the lurch of concern that lodged itself in his throat. "What the fuck?"

She showed no signs of stopping and he had to just assume that this was what was supposed to happen. Looking down at his other self, he noticed his body turning to stone. "Is that supposed to happen?"

But Bonnie kept focused on what she was doing. He had to keep his head together. So he continued pumping himself full of drugs. Needle after needled went into his neck and arm and it only started dawning on Kai that he was starting to run out. He only had two more needles. Daring to take a chance, he jammed each needle into his double and pushed the drugs into his system. Hopefully he would stay down long enough for him to get back with more stuff.

Bonnie gave him the go ahead and Kai said he'd be back as soon as he could. His legs dug into the ground, rushing him even more than his mind. All he could focus on was trying to get to the med-bay, gather up what he needed, and get back to the problem. He didn't need to think about anything. He just needed to run.

He tore into the med-bay, knocking over chairs and clambering over things as he gathered up more sedatives and a few more needles. Another couple of vials were thrown into a bag he dug up in one of the shelves. His heart was hammering so hard that he could barely hear his own breathing - the sound effectively drowned out by his heartbeat.

"Come on, Kai! Come on!" he growled at himself, throwing the last of the supplies into the bag and tearing out of the med-bay.

His legs were screaming at him, telling him to slow down but he wouldn't listen. He didn't have the luxury to listen. He had to get back to Bonnie because his other self was fucking crazy pants and he couldn't bear the thought of something happening to her because of his own crazy - even if it manifested into something completely different in someone else.

When he came back, it wasn't a scene he had been expecting. There, on the ground, was his double, but lacking a head. His arm was draped over Bonnie's form as she laid next to him, seemingly unresponsive. He recalled the image of her nose bleeding profusely when he'd left her. His own blood felt like ice, shredding through his veins.

It was like part of Kai's soul had been snatched from his body.

Dropping the bag, he took slow and measured steps towards their bodies. Eventually, even his own double began to burn and fizzle out of existence - dust from his petrified and flaming figure floating into the air. Kai's own weight was too much and he collapsed to his knees at Bonnie's side. A hand fell to her back and he shook her gently.

"B-Bon?"

Nothing. He shook her harder.

"Bonnie!"

And then he felt it. A heartbeat. Kai felt tears falling down his face.

She was alive.

Gathering her up into his arms, he held her close and pressed his lips to her forehead.

"Thank God…"

* * *

She'd been out for several hours. It was already dark out. The soft lapping of the ocean waters against the hull of the ship did little to ease Kai's worries. But it was something for him to focus on as he kept vigil over Bonnie's sleeping form. It felt like his heart was hollowed out from the inside out. All because of one nagging thought chewing at the back of his brain.

When Bonnie woke up, would it be _his Bonnie_ or someone else?

Kai knew he'd gotten there as fast as he could. He knew that there was a point where she hadn't been breathing. She very well could have died at that moment and who knows where her soul had gotten sucked off to or who could have replaced his Bonnie in their world. Ever since the door to other worlds had been opened to him, his mind was scattered to the winds as he waited - anxiety threatening to choke him out.

 _No_ , he thought, shaking his head roughly back and forth as he brushed some of her hair from her face, _she's a fighter. She's coming back to me._

There was no way that this was goodbye.

She was alive and that was all that mattered. She'd come back to him eventually. He had to be patient, that's all. Using magic must have been tough and he had to wonder if this was the kind of life that she'd been living constantly in her other world.

Was there really no one in her corner back then? Had she really been alone? Her against the world?

Kai could genuinely understand and even empathize for his other self. If he was gone, then maybe he would be like his Bonnie. Maybe he would find a place where he truly belonged. Maybe he would find that place with that special someone and finally live the life he'd always wanted.

He would finally be free.

As he held Bonnie's hand in his, Kai sighed. "I hope you find peace…"

Suddenly, Bonnie stirred and it brought him out of his reverie. She looked at him, focused on him, and Kai quickly pulled her up so he could kiss and hug the life out of her.

"Thank God," he said again, brushing her hair out of her eyes. When I came back, I thought you were dead. You weren't moving and his head was…" He couldn't stop from visually shuddering. "I know you told me what would happen, but actually seeing my own head not attached to my body was not how I thought this cruise would go."

"So he's gone?" she croaked and he nodded.

"His body and head both went up in flames. Nothing left, not even ashes."

She nodded, looking like the weight of the world had finally been lifted off her shoulders. Kai felt relief wash over him as she pulled him down onto the bed with her. He gathered her up into his chest, holding her close. The heaviness of the day finally disappearing, Kai felt them both start to drift off into sleep.

* * *

When they finally returned from the trip, Kai hardly left Bonnie alone. He was thankful for her understanding in needing to be around her. Or at least he assumed it was understanding. But now that he had a better idea of what she'd had to deal with in the past, Kai wanted to give her every assurance he could to show that she wasn't alone. That she was loved and she wouldn't have to worry about being alone ever again.

Bonnie seemed fine after a few days, but Kai was still shaken up by it all. It was hard for him to focus, but he made attempts. He talked to Mason and he was able to confirm some things for Kai, which made his heart even heavier. He'd even reached out to Vincent to confirm some things and even his experiences had been harrowing, if not similar.

Christ, his girlfriend was fucking phenomenal.

But there was something else that bothered him. Something his other self said that made him worry. _Really_ worried. It had been eating away at Kai for days.

When they were having a late night at the restaurant, going over paperwork, Kai looked at his father who was thoroughly engrossed on calculating numbers. He insisted on doing things the old fashioned way and he never pressed him. Kai just busied himself with payroll things. But as he watched him peeking over his glasses from one sheet of paper to the calculator, Kai couldn't hold it any longer.

"Hey, Dad?"

His father hummed, still working and not looking at him. "Hm? What is it, Son?"

"...did you ever think about abandoning me?" Kai tried to swallow the lump in his throat. "You know, after my mental health issues cropped up?" His father stopped fiddling with his work and lifted his gaze to look at him. "I mean, we all know how I was back then soon after Mom died. I wasn't the best kid and I know I gave you all hell and-"

"Malachai." His father's voice was so serious, but there was no edge to it. It was his way of making Kai shut his mouth when he needed something to say or to stop him from spouting nonsense. "You are my _son_. There is no way I would have let you deal with that alone. We're family and that means something."

Kai's fingers hovered over the keys of the laptop, the lump in his throat growing.

"And it means that we are together no matter what. Through the good times and the bad. No matter what happens, you'll always be my son and I will never _ever_ let you go through anything alone."

Tears filled his eyes and Kai laughed, shaking his head as he lowered his chin slightly. He quickly brushed his wrist across the backs of his eyes and down his cheeks to rid them of the tears. When he heard the soft clicking of the calculator buttons, he looked back up over the screen and saw his father had gone back to work.

"Love you too, Dad."

Kai fell on the couch at his apartment, throwing an arm over his eyes. It had been a long week and he was finally off from work for a couple of days. Bonnie was hanging out with the gang - something about movie night. Of course, the invitation had been extended to him, but Kai declined. He'd been Bonnie's metaphorical shadow and he knew that everything was fine. She needed some time to herself and he needed his space.

Besides, there was a phone call he was needing to make.

Picking up his phone, he scrolled through his contacts and pressed a name. It rang a couple of times before they finally answered.

"Hey, sorry I'm calling so late," he said, giving a grunt at the return greeting. "Thanks again for sending us on that trip, Rudy. She definitely needed it."

The other man spoke candidly and Kai laughed, reaching into his bag and fishing out a small leather box. Inspecting it between his fingers, he adjusted himself into a more comfortable position. Sighing, he flipped it open and eyed the soft green stone that glinted from within, nestled on a bed of white-gold that wrapped around the gem that resembled vines - a ring of smaller cut diamonds surrounding the emerald.

"No, I didn't," he said, closing the box. "...the timing wasn't right."

Chuckling to the disbelief from Rudy, he sighed and shrugged a little as he looked at the ceiling. "I know you gave me the perfect setup, but trust me when I tell you that it just wasn't the right time." Still holding the box, he rested his hand on his stomach and smiled. "But I'm not worried. I already know the answer."

Because she'd said it herself. She loved him. She loved him so much and he knew that he would spend the rest of his life making sure that she continued doing that. Because he loved her so goddamn much.


End file.
